


The Pineapple Doesn't Grow Far From the Stalk

by myglassesaredirty



Series: Spencer Family Escapades [2]
Category: Psych
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crime Fighting, Crushes, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Future Fic, Gen, Illegal Activities, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Puppy Love, Secret Crush, Spring Break, THAT'S NOT A REAL YEAR, also canon compliant to a degree, i did write this while watching la law, private investigating, set in 2037, some people go to the beach for a vacation these people solve crime, there are so many heckin words in this fic and about 842 relationships, there was something i was going to rant about in the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-11-16 11:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18093272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/pseuds/myglassesaredirty
Summary: There have been a lot of changes in the lives of the Psych gang.Lassie has a daughter now.Shawn and Juliet are married.Gus met and married Selene, and they have a son of their own.Madeleine retired from police psychology, due to threatening notes that were a little too serious for her comfort, moved back to Santa Barbara, and remarried Henry.What else? I know there was something else…Oh! Yeah, I remember now: Shawn and Juliet have a daughter, and she’s just as brilliant as her father, grandfather, and mother before her.





	1. Fatherhood

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea one day in the shower because my ADHD was running wild (as is often the case), and I just kept coming up with plot lines for this, and I cannot ignore it. I could not ignore it.

Henry likes to think he knows quite a bit about fatherhood.

Now, he isn’t perfect, and he will never know everything there possibly is to know about fatherhood. That’s just how life works. But he likes to think that, in the nearly forty years he has been parenting Shawn, he’s picked up quite a few things. Like when there’s something that his child is afraid of, or when he’s been doing something he’s not supposed to do, when he’s sick, or even when there’s something big on Shawn’s mind.

As Henry washes the dishes, he glances over his shoulder and watches the way Shawn fiddles with his hands. He sighs, rinses Maddy’s coffee mug, and sets it on the towel. “Shawn, come over here and help me with the dishes.”

Shawn looks up and slowly moves to stand by his father. “I still don’t see why you never wait for them to dry,” he murmurs, picking up the mug his father just set down. He grabs a towel and starts drying. “It’d make everything easier.”

Henry shrugs. “There’s something on your mind, and when there’s something on your mind, you always need to do something with your hands. This is the most productive thing right now.”

Shawn sticks the towel into the mug and dries off the inside of it. “Where’s Mom? Isn’t this her job?”

“She went to the store, Shawn. You know she takes a while whenever she goes.” He grabs the mixing bowl, rinses off the cake batter, and then starts scrubbing it. “Is this about Gus and his new son?”

Shawn smiles. “Sorta. It’s just so weird, Dad. I mean, we both knew he was going to become a dad long before I was, but now that that day is here, I just can’t help but feel…weird about it, you know?”

Henry purses his lips and nods along slowly. “I get what you mean.”

“And I’m glad that I’m the godfather –“ Shawn grins cheekily “– and I’m going to brush up on  _ The Godfather _ trilogy, just so I know what to do.”

Henry rolls his eyes.

“But that’s not it, either. I’m happy for him, and I realize that we’re all grown up now. But there’s just so much change going on.”

Henry stares at the bubbles in the sink and digs around for the next dish to wash. “When’s Juliet’s due date?”

Shawn’s head snaps up so fast that he thinks he got whiplash. “How did you know?”

Henry lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Call it a father’s intuition.” He furrows his brow. “Or is it a grandfather’s intuition now?” He frowns and shrugs again. “Either way, I’ve known you long enough to know when there’s something big, and since it’s only sort of about Nicky, then it has something to do with children, and that only leaves you and Juliet.”

Shawn chuckles and shakes his head. “No wonder you were the best cop during your days on the force.” He swipes the towel across a dinner plate and sighs. “She’s due in December.”

Henry smiles to himself. “And you are keeping it?”

Shawn looks at his father as if he’s crazy just for asking the question. “Of course, Dad.” He looks back down at the plate. “We’ve actually been trying for about a year now, but now that it’s actually a reality…” He sighs again, sets down the plate and towel, and turns to face his father. “I’m not ready to be a father, Dad.”

Henry abandons his task of dish-washing momentarily so he can look his son in the eyes. “Good. I would be worried about you if you thought you were ready.”

Shawn furrows his brow. “Really?”

“Shawn, I have been parenting for nearly forty years, and I’m still not convinced I’m doing it right. Any dad who tells you that they’re ready to be a father is either lying, definitely not prepared to be a father, or going to be a terrible dad. Hell, I wasn’t even ready when your mom told me that she was having you.” Henry looks down at the kitchen counter and remembers all those conversations, oh so many years ago, and shakes his head free of the memories.

“I know, but…what if I do it wrong? Dad, look at me. I’m not exactly the most responsible person in the world. I’m barely good enough at keeping myself alive; how in the world am I supposed to take care of another little life that is half me and half Jules?” He licks his lips. “Dad, I can’t do it.”

Henry smiles softly and places his hands on Shawn’s shoulders. “It’s terrifying, Shawn. There’s no way around it. And if your daughter is anything like Juliet and you, she’s going to end up working with the police department and getting herself in dangerous situations, and that’s more terrifying than anything. I still have nightmares about when you got shot.”

Shawn rolls his eyes. “I was fine, Dad. I got better.”

Henry glares at his son. “You lived, and you saved your neck out there, but you don’t know what it was like to get that call. And you might very well have to start preparing yourself for getting that same call.” He forces a smile. “But I digress. Yes, parenting is terrifying if your kid chooses to do something extremely dangerous, but it’s also terrifying because kids have no sense of impulse control.” He narrows his eyes at Shawn. “And you still don’t.”

Shawn laughs. “Makes me one hell of a psychic detective, though.”

“Regardless…Shawn, you won’t ever be ready, and you won’t ever know if you’re doing it right. You and your daughter will get in fights – hopefully not nearly as bad as the fights you and I got into, but it’ll happen. You’re going to need to learn how to walk this line of ‘am I pushing them too hard?’ and ‘am I pushing them hard enough?’ And…” he smiles softly, and his eyes blur with something reminiscent of tears. He swallows past the lump in his throat. “And when you get to hold your baby for the first time, you’re going to be scared to death that you’re going to make one tiny wrong move, and you’re going to stare down at the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in the entire world, and you’re going to wonder how something so priceless, something so amazing, can be so fragile. You’re going to come home from the hospital, and you’re not going to be able to sleep, and you’re going to have to check on the baby every ten minutes because you still need to be reassured that your child is safe.”

Shawn, though surprised by his father’s tears, offers him a watery smile and swipes at his eyes. “Are you talking from experience there, Pops?”

Henry cups Shawn’s cheek briefly and then steps away. “Of course.” He laughs to himself, grabs another dirty dish, and starts washing the dishes again. “Your mother will tell you that I didn’t sleep for the first night after we brought you home because I was just so scared that something bad was going to happen to you. She’ll also tell you that I cried when you first called me ‘Dada’ but that is a lie. I did not cry.”

Shawn grins cheekily. “You definitely did.”

“Absolutely not.”

Shawn shakes his head and resumes his drying duties. “You kept mentioning me having a daughter. Jules isn’t far enough along for us to know, and even if she was, we decided that we want it to be a surprise.”

It’s Henry’s turn to grin cheekily. “You call yourself psychic, but I am never wrong when guessing the sex of a baby. Ask your mother. When she was expecting you, I said you were going to be a boy, and she wasn’t entirely convinced. I also told her Gus was going to have a son, and I told Karen that Carlton was going to have a daughter. I’ve never been wrong about this, Shawn. I will bet you three weeks of you mowing my lawn that you and Juliet are going to have a girl.”

Shawn purses his lips. “You’re on. But we’re not finding out until she actually has the baby.”

The next few minutes pass in silence, with Shawn carefully setting aside each dried dish and Henry passing Shawn the next clean one. As Henry grabs the last thing to wash, Shawn finally speaks up again.

“What if– what if she– Dad, I’m scared, and not just about being a father, but about what will happen to Jules and the baby.”

Henry furrows his brow, sighs, and sets down the pan. He reaches his hand out for Shawn’s towel and wipes off his hands. “Listen, Shawn…your mother had a lot of difficulty with pregnancies. She and I tried a few times before she got pregnant with you, and each time she was pregnant before you, we lost the baby. We tried again after you, and I hope to God you don’t remember it, but we lost that baby, too. The worst thing about the last miscarriage was that she miscarried in the second trimester. We had already started decorating your little sister’s nursery.” He clenches his jaw, closes his eyes, and takes a moment to compose himself. “I’m never wrong about the sex of the baby, and if I don’t know, it’s usually a miscarriage, but, son, I can’t predict every single miscarriage that’s going to happen, and I’m not psychic. Complications can always arise. Things can always happen. And it is scary, trust me. But it was your  _ mother _ who had pregnancy trouble, not me. I don’t know Juliet the same way you do, but I pray that she’s not going to have the same amount of problems that your mother and I did. No one deserves to go through that.”

Shawn looks down at the floor and rocks up onto the balls of his feet. “Dad, I just want my wife and my kid to be safe.”

Henry smiles and claps Shawn on the shoulder. “Then you’re doing good. That’s the only thing any of us can really hope for.”

The garage door opens, and Maddy sweeps into the kitchen. “Hello, Goose,” she says, setting the grocery bags on the kitchen island. “I didn’t know you were coming, or else I would have come home sooner.” She looks at Henry. “You didn’t call me.”

Henry nods. “Yes, I did. Your phone is on silent.”

Maddy furrows her brow, digs in her purse, and grabs her phone. “I am not, I’ll even prove –“ her screen lights up, and she squints at her screen, finally noticing Henry’s message. “Oh. I guess you were right.”

Henry shakes his head fondly. “Your son distracted me, so the dishes aren’t quite done yet.”

Shawn rolls his eyes and follows his mother into the garage to help her unload the rest of the groceries.

“So what was so important that you distracted your father from his task?” Maddy asks, stepping aside to let Shawn grab the heavy stuff.

Shawn shrugs. “I was just telling him to prepare himself to become a grandpa because Jules is pregnant.” He leaves the garage, laughing when he hears his mother rush after him to ask him endless questions.

**

Shawn has decided that no amount of parenting classes or advice from his parents could possibly be sufficient in preparing him to have a baby of his own.

When Juliet goes into labor, she’s in the middle of watching a basketball game between UCLA and Stanford with Shawn and his parents. Shawn looks down during a commercial break, sees what just happened, and then he starts freaking out.

Most of what happened next is a blur. He remembers a lot of panicking. On his end. Not Jules’ end. She was fine. Henry tried to calm Shawn down and tell him what was going to happen. Thankfully, he didn’t go into graphic detail. He just told Shawn that Juliet was about to go into the most physically stressful and painful time in her life, and no amount of painkillers was going to numb the pain. He also told her that Jules was probably going to get really close to breaking his hand while she gave birth.

While the trip to the hospital was a blur, the delivery was not. He remembers – very clearly, might he add – the way Jules gripped his hand with the strength of ten thousand armies, forcing the bones to shift and crack. He remembers that she refused to cry, but she screamed a lot. He remembers that her face was flushed, and sweat dotted her forehead. He remembers that the birth took way too long for his liking, but his father later said that it was half the time it took for the doctors to get Shawn out.

The thing he remembers most clearly, however, is the shriek that immediately pierced the air. Shawn looked away from Juliet in that moment, and the doctor smiled down at the little potato-looking person in his hands and passed the baby to a nurse so that she could clean up the baby. Shawn took a step forward and searched the doctor’s eyes.

The doctor smiled. “Congratulations,” he said, “it’s a girl.”

Shawn shook his head, kissed Juliet once, twice, three times, and remembered that his dad told him he was going to have a girl.

They name her Lauren Isabelle Spencer. They had originally planned on naming her Lauren Carley (or Carley Lauren – they had debated on the arrangement of the name for a while), but the second Lassie heard that they were planning on naming their child after him, he vetoed it. “As long as Spencer is the father, you are not allowed to name your child after me, O’Hara.” He shrugged and then said, “I also hate namesakes. Get creative. Use a name that sounds good.”

So they take Lassiter’s advice and nix Lauren Carley or Carley Lauren and name her Lauren Isabelle. The nurses immediately give Juliet the baby and place Lauren on her chest, and Juliet cries a little bit, or a lot, and Shawn can’t tell because he always thought he could never love anyone more than he loved Jules, but there is that little bundle resting on her chest, and she has a little tiny nose, nothing like his own nose, and she’s beautiful and perfect and the best thing Shawn has ever seen, and he’s crying, too. He makes the trek outside to tell his family and Gus that the baby is born, and her name is Lauren Isabelle. Henry winks at him, pulls him into a bear hug, and says, “I told you that you were going to have a girl.” Gus jumps into the air, waiting his turn to hug Shawn, and then he hugs Shawn and starts blabbering about how Lauren and Nicky are going to be best friends growing up, just like their old men, and he asks about how much Lauren weighs, and how long she is, and when she was born. Maddy doesn’t have words. She just pulls Shawn into a hug of her own and cries into his shoulder.

Shawn goes back into the hospital room, pulls up the chair as close to Jules’ bed as possible, and watches his daughter closely. Juliet squeezes his hand and falls asleep, spent from the very exhausting task of giving birth, and Shawn is left alone with his daughter. He carefully takes her out of her cradle, or bassinet – he’s not really sure what they’re called, but he knows that Gus and his parents would know – and carefully holds her. She fits perfectly in his arms, and he slowly sits down, and his father was right: he’s so scared that he can move his arm wrong, just a little twitch, and then this fragile little baby will be no more. He knows that it takes more than that, but he’s still scared. He shifts her into the crook of his elbow and offers her his index finger.

“Hey, Lauren,” he whispers. She stares up at him with big brown eyes. “I’m your daddy.” He sniffles. “Your mommy is asleep right now because she’s real tired, but we both love you so much, honey.” He nods toward the door. “In a little while, my parents are gonna come through that door. When you’re older, you’ll call the old bald man ‘Grampo’ and the nice lady who puts up with him “Gran.’ Or, really, you’ll call them whatever you want. They love you so much, too.”

Lauren wriggles and reaches for his finger with her hand. Her tiny little hand closes around his index finger, and even her entire hand isn’t big enough to completely close around his finger.

Tears spring into Shawn’s eyes, and he’s pretty sure he stops breathing. Actually, scratch that, he definitely stops breathing.

Lauren opens her mouth and yawns, pulling her hand away from her dad’s finger.

Shawn licks his lips, carefully lifts Lauren up, and presses his lips to her forehead. He pulls away and searches his daughter’s eyes. “I have known you for all of one hour, and I love you more than anyone else in the world. You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me, Lauren.” He kisses her forehead again. “And I finally understand what my dad has been telling me all these years.”


	2. Like Father/Mother/Uncles/Grandfather, Like Daughter/Niece/Granddaughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren is now 17, and when she gets off from school, she hangs out in the chief's office since there's far less foot traffic in there. She's just sitting on the couch, minding her own business, when she hears that there's a major case.
> 
> Oh, she needs to get on that.

Normally, Lauren is a fan of spring break. Her mother takes off from work, at least for a couple of days, and her parents will take her somewhere fun for a few days, and usually they go with the Gusters.

However, this year, her mom couldn’t get any time off – Lauren vaguely recalls something about a major drug case, but that was solved the weekend leading into spring break – and Uncle Gus decided to stay behind, since the SBPD needed him and her dad to help with several police cases.

So, as it stands, Lauren lies on Chief Vick’s couch in her office, letting her head drop from the couch while she surveys the office since it’s upside-down. She fiddles with her watch and counts how many people with jeans pass by the front of the chief’s office.

Lauren sighs in boredom. Only three people are wearing jeans, and most are wearing skirts, slacks, or shorts. Her mom would tell her to read a book, but the only book she really needs to read is the one for school, and though her father loved it, she’s not the biggest fan of  _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ just yet. Then again, she’s only on chapter 3.

Regardless, she doesn’t have her book with her and she’s scrolled through various text messages, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter seven times with no new results. She tried to play the games on her phone, but she got bored with Temple Run 2 after she reached 1 millon points.

She loves playing sudoku, but even the expert level on all the sudoku apps are too easy because she can always change the answers and see what she’s doing. Lauren frowns and considers that she might have broken her app by solving the puzzle in each level at record speed.

If only she could play the puzzle in the paper…

Lauren huffs and slides further down the couch, so that her hair brushes against the floor and the blood drains to her head.

Chief Vick looks up from her desk and rolls her eyes. “Are you doing good over there, Lauren?”

“I’m bored.”

Chief Vick shakes her head and tsks her tongue. “Don’t you have homework to do?”

“Only a sadist would do their homework over spring break.” Lauren’s voice sounds nasally, and she tries to shrug, though it’s more difficult than it seems to do so upside down. “Besides, I left all that at home because I didn’t think people would be boring over spring break.”

Chief Vick rolls her eyes.

Lauren grabs the top of the couch and hauls herself up. She twists so that she sits on her knees and props her elbows on the armrest. “Usually, I go with Uncle Gus and them to wherever for spring break, but he’s too good at his job, so I’m stuck here, but Nick is on a date.” She rolls her eyes. “I told Nick that this girl is a bitch, but he won’t listen to me just because he thinks she’s hot.”

Chief Vick presses her lips together in an effort to repress a smile. “You shouldn’t curse.”

Lauren furrows her brow. “What? Bitch?” She waves a hand in dismissal. “Pft, that’s nothing. Now, if I said fuck, I could get why you would – oh shit, I just said fuc– SHIT, I’m sorry– Fu– sh–“ Lauren presses her lips together. “I see your point now, Mrs. Vick.”

Chief Vick chuckles.

Lauren squints at Chief Vick. “Can I talk to you about something, Mrs. Vick?”

Chief Vick looks up from her paperwork and sets down her pen for a moment. “What about, Lauren?”

Lauren huffs and shifts so that she sits cross-legged. “It’s about boys.”

Chief Vick raises her eyebrow and twists her chair so that she can look Lauren in the eyes. “Oh?”

Lauren nods her head rapidly. “See, I have a crush on this guy. He’s new, transferred here at the turn of semester. He’s from Texas.”

Chief Vick smirks. “Does he have that Southern drawl?”

Lauren nods again. “Yes! And it’s like– his voice sounds like if barbeque sauce had a sound.”

Chief Vick frowns. “I never would think to describe anything like that, but I can hear what you mean.” She smiles softly. “Tell me more about him.”

Lauren’s eyes light up. “He has dark brown hair, and he has great hair. Dad says that he used to have great hair in his prime, but I doubt it. I’ve seen pictures. He didn’t really know what great hair is. This guy does have great hair. And it looks so soft. And he has green eyes that look like the sea, and then he’s really tall –“

Chief Vick furrows her brow. “Is– have you ever had a conversation with him?”

Lauren purses her lips. “Once, I think. He asked me if he could borrow a pencil, but I barely have one, and I usually steal one from Nick, so I had to tell him no.”

Chief Vick’s mouth drops.  _ “That’s _ the only conversation you’ve had with this guy? How do you know anything about him?”

Lauren shrugs and rubs her nose. “Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

Chief Vick shakes her head and scoots her chair closer. “You don’t know anything about this guy. What if he deals drugs? What if he drinks? What if he has a girlfriend, for Pete’s sake?”

Lauren frowns. “You sound like Grampo if he found out I had a crush on him.”

Chief Vick picks up her pen. “And your grandfather would be right. Henry knows what he’s talking about.”

“He married the first woman he dated!” Lauren nearly shouts, gesticulating wildly. “And they divorced!”

Chief Vick shakes her head. “They got remarried for a reason, Lauren. And your grandfather knows how to read people very well, and your grandmother was definitely the best woman for him.”

Lauren sighs. “Fine. But Dad dated around a lot, and now he and Mom are married, and  _ that _ turned out well.”

“It took five years for them to start dating, even though your father made several passes at your mother, and he would–“ Chief Vick sighs. “Let’s not. My point is that you shouldn’t like a person just based on their looks. Sometimes their looks will match up to what kind of person they are on the inside, but a lot of times, they won’t.” She pushes her chair back away from her desk. “Get your headphones and put them in.”

Lauren sighs, grabs her phone and earbuds, and plugs in her earbuds. She watches Chief Vick’s back, decides against playing any music, and tucks her phone into her pocket.

Uncle Lassie, Mom, Dad, and Uncle Gus all file into the office ahead of Chief Vick. She looks at all of them and furrows her brow. “Where’s Henry?”

Dad hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “He’s probably taking a dump. You will want to fumigate the men’s bathroom.”

Chief Vick rolls her eyes, and Lauren has to try very hard to keep her expression neutral so that no one suspects that she’s eavesdropping.

Uncle Lassie nods toward Lauren. “What about her? Are we sure that she’s not listening in? If she’s anything like Spencer…”

Mom nudges Uncle Lassie. “She’ll be fine. Besides, she wouldn’t listen in on something she knew was classified.”

_ If only you knew, Mom. _ At the mention of the word “classified,” Lauren internally perks up. This means a big case, one that Chief Vick thinks is too difficult only for the detectives and Psych to solve. She brought in Grampo for this case, after all, and based on what Dad and Gran have told her, Grampo was the best detective on the force before he retired.

When all the adults are looking away from her, Lauren turns on her music but keeps the volume on mute. It’s easier to adjust the volume if anyone suspects anything of her, and her parents can attest to the fact that she hates playing loud music from her earbuds.

Grampo hurries into the office. “You wanted to see me, Karen?” His eyes sweep the room, and he sighs. “Are we sure that she’s actually listening to music?”

“Henry, unless she does something that seems like she’s listening in, we’re just going to assume she’s doing as she’s told.”

Grampo crosses his arms. “And when was the last time any of us saw Lauren do as she was told?”

Dad purses his lips and turns around to face Grampo. “You know, Dad, you have a point.”

“And when was the last time  _ you _ ever did anything you were told to do? You’re just as bad as Lauren, if not worse. At least Lauren got  _ some _ of her mother’s sense.”

“Aw, thank you, Henry.”

Uncle Lassie nods. “It’s more like a sprinkle, Henry.”

“Hey, I said some.”

Chief Vick taps the spine of the manila folder against the desk. “Can we get on with the case?” When she’s met with silence instead of the usual squabble, she sighs in relief. “Thank you.” She passes the file to Uncle Lassie. “What we have here is a triple homicide. We have no fingerprints, no DNA, nothing. All three of these people were killed at about the same time, all with different weapons. There is no sign of forced entry. Different ages, races, and careers.”

Uncle Lassie whistles lowly. “So, in short, this is the perfect crime?”

Lauren looks down and covers her snort with a fake cough.

Dad rolls his eyes. “Oh, Lassie. After eighty-three years in the service, you should know by now: there is no such thing as the perfect crime.”

Grampo grumbles, “Damn straight there isn’t any such thing as a perfect crime. There’s only near-perfect crimes.”

Uncle Lassie passes the file to Mom. “They were all found at the same crime scene, but the entire scene was immaculately cleaned. We could interview the victims’ families and coworkers, see if anything turns up there.”

Dad takes the file and stares at it. “Something feels weird about this case, doesn’t it?”

Uncle Gus glares at him. “You mean, aside from the fact that we have absolutely zero leads on this?”

 

Dad glances at the file and passes it to Grampo. “Well, yes, that, but it just feels wrong.”

 

Lauren licks her lips. “It’s too good of a crime. Whoever did it had done it before.”

 

All the adults’ eyes snap to her, and Lauren clamps her mouth shut.

 

Mom glares at her and crosses her arms. “Why were you listening in if you knew it was classified information?”

 

Lauren grins innocently, completely ignoring the way her grandfather’s and father’s eyes pierce into her skull. “Because it was classified information.” When her mother’s glare intensifies, she tries to shrink into the couch. “Because I’m bored, okay? Solving cases is fun. I mean, Dad only lets me solve fake cases, but still.” She shrugs and stands up, refusing to back down. “I mean, come on! I’m seventeen! I’m an adult!”

 

All of the adults shake their heads, but Lauren’s eyes focus on Grampo and Dad. “No, you most certainly are not,” Grampo says gruffly. “Eighteen is the legal age of adulthood.”

 

Lauren crosses her arms. “But if I were to commit a crime – not that I would – I would be prosecuted as an adult!” She points at the door leading into the chief’s office. “And in some states, I would have technically been an adult last year. Did you know that, in Texas, sixteen-year-olds can drink alcohol? Because they can.”

 

Grampo crosses his arms, mirroring Lauren’s stance. “Well, we don’t  _ live _ in Texas, and I don’t care about how you could be prosecuted. You’re a minor. You can’t be a part of this case. You have no involvement whatsoever.”

 

A stray piece of hair falls into her eyes, and Lauren huffs out a breath, causing the strand of hair to flutter away from her face. “Listen, there’s gotta be something that you’re missing at the crime scene. One of the victims was shot, right? That’s usually what happens, right? And I’d bet that one of the other victims was stabbed and the last was probably poisoned or something. I’m betting that they were all kidnapped, and so you could go back and look for a missing persons report.” She shrugs. “What was it? Cuffs? Rope? Zip ties?” She purses her lips and nods. “I bet it was zip ties. Criminals nowadays are so cliché.”

 

Grampo grits his teeth, but Dad beats him to the punch. “That isn’t the  _ point, _ Lauren. The point is that you’re too young, and this is too dangerous. This is a triple homicide case, and there’s probably some other shady stuff going on with it, too. Whatever happens, I  _ don’t _ want you to get involved in this.”

 

“But I can do it! I just want to help.” Her eyes turn to her father’s, and she looks at him pleadingly. “Come on. You got into this whole ‘psychic detective’ agency because you wanted to help others. Why won’t you let me do the same?”

 

Dad shakes his head. “You’re a  _ minor, _ Lauren. Whether or not you want to, you can’t even serve in the military. You can’t even vote.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes. “Not unless I get a fake ID.”

 

Uncle Lassie decides that now is as good a time as any to join the discussion. He points a finger at her. “I thought you said you weren’t going to commit a crime, young lady.”

 

Lauren groans. “Come  _ on! _ I’m seventeen now! What if I was born in the summer? I could graduate as a seventeen-year-old and join the police academy straight out of high school, and  _ that’s _ perfectly legal.”

 

Uncle Lassie shakes his head. “Absolutely not. In California, you’re required to be at least eighteen. Depending on which district you’re in, you might have to be twenty-one.”

 

“Just let me help!”

 

“No!” all the adults shout at the same time.

 

Lauren gestures wildly at the case file. “Just trust me! I can do it! Look at who all raised me! Uncle Lassie has been the head detective at the SBPD longer than I’ve been alive. Uncle Gus is brilliant, and he’s a great private I. Dad, you’re you. You are Shawn Spencer, and you’ve given Uncle Lassie a run for his money. Mom, you are just as good a detective as Uncle Lassie, and he even told me once that you were even better than him. Grampo…look at you! You were the best cop back in the 1900s! You stopped a bomb plot, and you saved Dad’s life a number of times! You taught him and me everything we know! Why can’t I help?”

 

Mom takes a step forward. “Honey, you’re still a kid. You’re too young for this.”

 

Uncle Gus sighs and runs a hand over the top of his head. “Listen, Lauren, I get that you’re bored. Nick will never go on another date with this girl. You’ll have your best friend back.”

 

“That’s not  _ it, _ Uncle Gus! I just want to help you guys out. Six heads are better than five.”

 

“Lauren, it’s not a possibility. Let it go. You’re not old enough to become a cop yet, and you’re not old enough to be a PI.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to speak, but Chief Vick interrupts her before she can.

 

“Well, you all are dismissed. Henry, could you take care of your granddaughter? We need your son to help us do things…his way.”

 

Grampo nods fervently. “Of course, Karen.” He steps away from the crowd and gestures for Lauren to come with him. “Come on, Lauren. We’ve got to get going.”

 

Lauren huffs and starts walking out the door. “I still think it’s unfair.”

 

“You can keep thinking that, but it won’t change any of our minds.”

 

Lauren whisper-screams and throws a glare at her grandfather over her shoulder. “I’m not a kid anymore, Grampo! I would really appreciate not being treated as one.”

 

Grampo puts his hand on her shoulder and guides her through the throngs of chaos. “Lauren, you are still legally considered a child. We’re just trying to protect you.”

 

“But I’m supposed to be figuring out the entire rest of the course of my life when I still have to ask permission to use the bathroom?” Lauren rolls her eyes. “That sure seems fair.”

 

Grampo leans down so that she can better hear him. “You won’t have much left of your life if you get involved in this case, Lauren. None of us want that. We just –” his voice seems to crack, but he clears his throat before Lauren can decide whether or not he was about to start crying. “We want you to be safe, sweetie.”

 

“I’m not going to die just because I try and help out with a case, Grampo.”

 

Grampo shrugs and pushes open the door to the police station. “Your father was shot in one of his less serious cases. He was kidnapped twice, held at gunpoint far too many times, and stabbed once. One woman poisoned him because he went on a singular date with a woman she was in love with. Those cases were all too close for comfort. You don’t need to be a part of that just yet.”

 

Lauren stomps down the brick steps. “There’s no point in arguing, is there?”

 

“What do you think?” He pulls his keys out of his pocket and unlocks his truck. “How ‘bout you and I go fishing?’

 

Lauren groans and stops in front of the passenger door. “You know I hate fishing.”

 

Grampo rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, you think it’s evil to kill innocent fish.”

 

Lauren shakes her head a little bit. “No, that’s not it, I just hate the smell, and it’s also really boring.” She sighs and jerks her head toward the police station. “I’m going to go pee first.”

 

“Why didn’t you go in the middle of the meeting?”

 

Lauren grins at him. “Because then I wouldn’t have been able to listen in. I promise, I’ll be right back!” She turns around and jogs back up the steps, with the urgency of someone who needs to use the restroom. She creeps through the bullpen, and thankfully, none of the officers notice her. Because of her parents, she frequents the station enough that they know that she’ll explore the bullpen when she gets especially bored. Lauren sneaks up to the coffee and donut table, pretending to reach for a donut. She tilts her head and squints into the office. None of the adults are in the chief’s office, and the file is still open on her desk.

 

Glancing over her shoulders, Lauren slips back into the office and hurries to the chief’s office. She knows she can’t touch the file or spend particularly long reading it, but she still needs to see it. She needs to be able to give them something when her parents inevitably stay up late talking about the case.

 

She scans the first page of the file. It talks about the wounds that led to the cause of death, and like she believed, the third victim was poisoned. Based on what she knows, it could be cyanide, but she doesn’t know anything about poisons. She figures it will look suspicious if she looks it up, and then the FBI is going to come knocking on her door, and then she’ll have to explain why she knows that anyway. Nah, she’ll just ask Nick about it. He wants to be a doctor.

 

There isn’t much else on the first page, but she commits it all to memory. Glancing up, Lauren checks to make sure that no more adults are coming, and then she scans the images of the crime scene. She hears the sound of clipped heels, and she dashes out of the office, grabs a jelly donut for Grampo, and flies down the steps.

 

Grampo leans against the hood of his truck, glaring at Lauren when she jogs up to the truck. “I thought you needed to pee,” he grumbles.

 

Lauren nods and shrugs. “I did, but I also saw that they still had some jelly donuts, and I know how much you like jelly donuts.” She offers it out to him. “You want it?”

 

Grampo’s face softens. “Of course I want the jelly donut. When do I not want jelly donuts?”

 

Lauren shrugs and gives it to him, climbing into the cab of the truck. “Do we seriously have to go fishing?”

 

“I was going to go fishing, but then Karen called me in for this case.” He shakes his head and starts the ignition. “How am I supposed to help solve this case if I’m too busy babysitting you?” He takes a bite out of his donut. “You are way too much like your father, Ellie. I barely survived him, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive you.”

 

Lauren crosses her arms and glares out the windshield. “Love you, too, Grampo.”

 

Grampo nudges her with his shoulder. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world, Ellie. I would love to be less stressed about the two of you, but I wouldn’t dream of trading it for anything.” He presses a kiss to her temple. “I love you both too much to do that.”

 

Lauren smiles. “Thanks, Grampo.”


	3. Fishing with Grampo (StOp MoViNg ThE bOaT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry drags Lauren to go fishing with him.

“Lauren, stop moving.”

 

Lauren groans and jiggles her pole a little before she sets it against the edge of the boat. “But I’m  _ bored.” _

 

“You’re always bored.” Grampo sighs and tugs his fishing hat down a little more. “You and your father both.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “I don’ know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout, Grampo. I’m jus’ a sweet Southern belle. I jus’ want some iced tea durin’ a hot summer month.” She smirks when her grandfather turns to her with a glare. “I could jus’ sit on mah front porch an’ sip mah tea…”

 

Grampo continues to glare at her. “Stop talking in that atrocious accent.”

 

Lauren sits up straighter. “Grampo, I dunno what you’re talkin’ ‘bout. This is my normal voice.”

 

“It is not.”

 

Lauren grins cheekily and nudges her grandfather with her shoulder. “Oh, come on, Grampo, I’m just trying to have fun. Dad tried to teach me his German and Australian accents, and I’m not bad at those, but I have him whooped on my Southern accent.”

 

Grampo grunts. “And why is that?”

 

Lauren reels in her line and sets the fishing pole aside. “Gran says it’s because you always made me watch Westerns with you when I was little.”

 

Grampo rolls his eyes. “Ellie, you wanted to watch those movies because they always had horses. I remember your horse phase. Your grandmother and I bought you so many horse toys for you to play with.”

 

“And I did!” Lauren grins, but then her grin immediately falls, and her brow furrows in thought. “Was my horse phase before or after my elephant phase?”

 

“After. I was already calling you Ellie by then.” Grampo shakes his head and chuckles. “I remember you decided one day that you were going to visit elephants in their natural habitat, so you packed your little ladybug suitcase with two outfits and all your stuffed elephants, and you started walking to the airport because you were going to see the elephants.” He turns to Lauren with a twinkle in his eyes. “Your father called me, absolutely frantic, telling me that you had run away, and all your elephant stuff was gone. We found you standing outside the toy store.”

 

Lauren smiles softly. “I’m surprised I wasn’t kidnapped or anything, to be quite honest.”

 

“Tell me about it. We were all worried about you.” He winks at Lauren. “Still, it’s better than your new thing with Texas.” He shakes his head. “What’s that all about?”

 

Lauren shrugs guiltily. “Nothing.”

 

“Don’t lie to me, Lauren.” He narrows his eyes at her. “I can always tell when someone’s lying.”

 

Lauren smirks and ducks her head.  _ Then what about when I told you that I needed to pee, and I still haven’t gone? _ “Well, it’s just…a great state.”

 

Grampo scoffs. “The hell it is. All Texans think that they’re better than everyone else. And whatever you say, they don’t ride horses to school, but somehow, the vast majority of Texans know how to ride horses. When you greet them, they say, ‘Howdy.’” Grampo shakes his head.  _ “Howdy, _ Lauren! It’s awful!”

 

Lauren laughs. “Oh, Grampo, you must have something against Texas.”

 

“I do, but that isn’t it.” He purses his lips. “Do you know someone from Texas?”

 

Lauren nods. “I do, actually. He’s a new student, from El Paso, I think?” She furrows her brow and thinks back to the one time the teacher mentioned where he was from. “Actually, that’s wrong. He has  _ family _ from El Paso, but I know he’s from somewhere in West Texas.” She turns to her grandfather. “Grampo?”

 

Grampo rubs his nose. “The only Texas cities I know are San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin.”

 

Lauren twists her lips. “It started with an O…”

 

Grampo furrows his brow. “O? What do you mean?”

 

“Odessa!” she exclaims, nodding her head. “That’s where he’s from. He doesn’t talk too much about Odessa, but he does talk about Texas a lot. A lot of guns, trucks, and rattlesnakes.”

 

Grampo rolls his eyes. “Oh, I’ll bet there are a lot of snakes down in Texas. And, besides, Texas is the most gun-happy state in the country.”

 

“Don’t you own, like, three guns?”

 

Grampo points his index finger at her. “It is my constitutional right to do so, Ellie, and I will continue to carry on my person as long as your father is throwing himself into ridiculous situations.” He narrows his eyes at her. “But, seriously, what’s your obsession with Texas? You only know one pers–” His eyes grow wide, and he sits back, pointing his finger at her accusingly. “Do you have a crush on this boy?”

 

Lauren clamps her lips together and plays with the fringe on her shorts. “No.”

 

Grampo sets down his own fishing pole and scoots closer. “Lauren, no. You are not old enough to date.”

 

Lauren looks at him sharply. “Dad was dating when he was younger than me, a), b) Mom and Dad have said that I can date as long as they approve of the guy!”

 

Grampo narrows his eyes. “And do they?”

 

“Well, Grampo, you see, to date, both parties have to be interested in the other, and usually, the thing that causes interest is conversations. Colin and I have only ever had one conversation, and that was when he asked me to borrow a pencil.”

 

Grampo furrows his brow. “But you never have a pencil on you. As far as I’m aware, you steal all of Nick’s.”

 

Lauren starts to nod her head, and then she stops. “Yeah. Wait. How did you know that I steal Nick’s pencils?”

 

Grampo rolls his eyes. “Because I’ve heard Gus complain to your father about how many packs of pencils he has to buy because  _ you _ continue to steal his son’s pencils, and he  _ has _ tried to give you your own pencil packages, but you end up losing literally all of them within days.”

 

Lauren shrugs. “Look, I didn’t lose  _ all _ of them. I just broke a few because I threw them into my backpack.”

 

“The only thing you have in your backpack is your computer and about six hundred assignments!” Grampo shakes his head. “How you’re in the top 10 percent of your class, I’ll never know.”

 

Lauren hums. “You know as well as I do that it’s because Mom makes me.”

 

“See, I tried to do the same thing with your father, and it didn’t work.”

 

Lauren frowns. “Well, part of it might be because– never mind.”

 

Grampo tilts his head. “No, what were you about to say?”

 

Lauren shrugs and runs a hand through her hair. “Well, part of it might be because he was really pissed at you. According to Uncle Gus, you and him were really pissed at each other for the better part of twenty years. That’s a long time.”

 

Grampo sighs and shakes his head. “It wasn’t twenty years, Lauren. It was more like fifteen. And, yes, it was because his mother decided to pursue her career. That’s not the point.” He shakes his head. “But back to this Colin guy…you’ve only ever had one conversation with him? How do you know what kind of person he is?”

 

Lauren groans. “Why does everyone keep saying the same thing? I just…feel like he’s a good guy.”

 

Grampo shakes his head. “You can’t rely on feelings, Ellie. Feelings will deceive you.”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “Mmmm…weren’t you the one who told Dad once that you ‘know feelings?’”

 

Grampo rolls his eyes. “I meant when it came to cases. When it comes to relationships, you can never trust your feelings.”

 

“At some point, that’s gotta be unhealthy.”

 

Grampo opens his mouth to speak, but seems to decide against it and shakes his head. “Forget it. Let’s change the subject from this guy that you most certainly will  _ not _ date unless you have a conversation with him and establish that he’s a decent guy.”

 

Lauren shakes her head and rubs her eyes, the sea salt stinging them. “What do you think about the case?”

 

Grampo shrugs with one shoulder and picks up his fishing pole again. “From what little I know, this will probably go cold.”

 

Lauren nods slowly and splits her hair into three parts, reaching behind her head to start a braid. “Did you see any of the photos?”

 

“I did.”

 

“So, that gunshot wound…it looks like it was just one clean shot to the heart and another to the head for dramatic effect. I’d say the murderer used a .35 revolver, and well, the stab victim…carotid artery is a fast bleeder, and so is the femoral artery. I didn’t get a good look, but –”

 

Grampo sets down his pole and wheels around in his seat so fast that Lauren thinks that the boat is going to capsize. “What the hell did you just say?”

 

Lauren presses her lips together. “Nothing?”

 

Grampo points an accusatory finger at her. “No, you said ‘I didn’t get a good look.’ None of us let you look at that file when we were all in the room with you.” His eyes widen, but based on the little twitch underneath his right eye, he’s more pissed than a bunch of hornets after their hive has been shaken. “What did you do when you ran back into the station?”

 

“I went to the bathroom!”

 

“The hell you did!” He clenches his jaw. “You snuck into the chief’s office and looked at the file, didn’t you?”

 

Lauren’s shoulders sag. “Okay, yes,  _ fine, _ I might have done that, but I only looked at what the file was open to! The photos of the crime scene and the first page. Honest, that’s all I saw!”

 

“Lauren, you can’t do this! You’re way too young to try and solve this thing!”

 

She holds up both hands in surrender. “Who said I was trying to solve it? I figured there wasn’t enough pee in me to make it worth it and –”

 

Grampo shakes his head. “Can the bull, Lauren. You went to look at the file, didn’t you? Even though you knew you weren’t supposed to?”

 

Lauren sighs and nods. “I did.”

 

“Dammit, Lauren, you heard  _ all _ of us tell you that it was too dangerous and you disregarded every single one of us! I don’t care what noble thoughts you had in your mind, you shouldn’t have done that!” He takes off his fishing hat and runs his hand over his head. “Ellie, cases go cold sometimes. It just happens. We can’t solve them all. You and your father have an especially difficult time with that.”

 

“Maybe we  _ wouldn’t _ have such a difficult time if people would just let us do it our way!”

 

“There are laws surrounding how you can go about solving a case, Lauren!”

 

Lauren sets her jaw and shakes her head. “Maybe there shouldn’t be. I mean, anyone can lie, and anyone can hide stuff, and anyone can get a friend to look after their stuff. It’s terrible. And don’t give me this bull about how I broke the law just by looking at that file because I don’t  _ care. _ I just want to help, and I’m willing to help from behind the scenes, but you guys have to let me.”

 

Grampo shakes his head, reels in his line, and gathers both poles. “Listen to me, Lauren: none of us are going to let you in on this case. It’s not because we think you can’t do it, but we’re more concerned about what will happen to you if you get involved. We all can handle ourselves. Your mother, Carlton, and I are all trained police officers. I trained your father to get himself out of sticky situations, and he’s a crack shot.”

 

Lauren straightens up. “And I’m not? I’ve been shooting guns since I was six, Grampo. I’m a better shot than Mom, Dad, and Uncle Lassie.”

 

Grampo practically growls. “I don’t care, Lauren. You’re too young. When you’re eighteen, every choice you make will be your own, and the only thing we can stop you from is drinking. But as for right now, you are still a minor, and you’re under your parents’ and your grandparents’ care. You are not allowed to work this case. Clear?”

 

Lauren grits her teeth and nods slowly. “Crystal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all. I’m from Texas. I’m allowed to talk shit about Texas if I want.


	4. Puzzling, Puzzling…Now What's This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what if literally everyone in her family and then some try and tell Lauren not to be a part of this case? Look at who her father is. Does anyone _really_ think she's going to listen?

She peeks out her bedroom door, glancing up and down the hallway for any sign of her parents being awake. When she sees that her parents’ bedroom light is off, and everything in the hallway is also off, she slips outside her bedroom and creeps toward the kitchen.

 

Lauren has heard a hundred stories of how Grampo caught Dad when he was trying to sneak out in his youth simply because of the creak of floorboards, and she is bent on avoiding the same fate, so she memorized where the floors creak the most and creeps on her tiptoes. The wind whistles outside, but she’s quieter than even that, like a whisper by her parents’ ears.

 

She carefully peeks her head around the corner to reaffirm her beliefs that her parents are not in the kitchen, and when she’s met with almost complete blackness, she steps into the kitchen and looks around. The case file sits innocently on the table, and Lauren immediately memorizes the exact placement of the pages, how neatly the folder is organized and stacked high. Even if her mother wouldn’t notice a slight difference, her father would. She and her father share the same memory, and while it’s a blessing, it’s also a curse. She frowns.  _ Does Grampo have an eidetic memory? I’ve never heard of him having one, but he’s so perceptive, and even though he’s almost a hundred and fifty, he has a great memory. He’s gotta have one. _

 

_ Note to self: write on your hand to ask Gran if Grampo has an eidetic memory. _

 

Lauren carefully pinches the edge of the manila folder and opens it to the first page. She waits until her eyes adjust to the dim light, and then she shifts the folder so that the moonlight falls on the page. It’s the same information, already seared into her brain. She turns to the next page.

 

They were able to identify each of the victims. The gunshot victim was named Harold Bernguy. He was a car salesman, but he was apparently very well off. Lauren squints at the name of his employer, and he worked at a Mercedes dealership. Figures. Married, three kids, but his wife and him had separated, according to the witness statements.

 

_ Check with the divorce lawyer. Potential suspect. Maybe an affair, a woman from church, perhaps? _

 

The stab victim was named Hillary Undelwood. Lauren winces and shakes her head.  _ Talk about unfortunate names. _ Elementary school art teacher, small salary, never married, no children. Didn’t even have a boyfriend.

 

_ There’s gotta be some psychotic parents out there. She’s pretty enough, so one little boy might have had a crush on her, and, in response, parents freaked out and murdered her. Unlikely, but possible. _

 

Finally, the poison victim was…

 

Lauren takes a step back, barely avoiding one of the creaky boards. She knows that kid. She went to school with him. In fact, he was in her last class on Friday before spring break started. Valedictorian, top of the class, arguably smarter than even Nick (though, she has to say, Nick would wholeheartedly disagree. He’s convinced that Jon Hodges cheated on pretty much everything, but all the teachers loved him because of who his parents were).

 

Lauren takes a step forward and peers closer at the file. It looks like it was a heroin overdose, according to Woody. Jon worked part-time at Bahama Bucks, volunteered with about a hundred different organizations, was inducted into the National Honor Society at the beginning of the school year, he’s the president of the Spanish, science, and book clubs, a strong member of the student council, captain of the debate team. He’s all set to become president of the United States, if he were so inclined.

 

Or, well. He  _ was _ set to become president of the United States, if he had been so inclined.

 

Lauren worries her lip and scans Jon’s page of the file again. There’s gotta be something here, he’s key to the entire thing…

 

_ So, clearly, these are all connected, but they have to be connected  _ somehow.  _ The teacher likely wasn’t having an affair with Harold – ugh, that’s an awful name – but even if she was, she didn’t pull the jealousy play. Someone else would have had to find out about it, but why murder Jon? And why inject him with deadly amounts of heroin? _

 

She flips to pictures of the crime scene, but she moves past those quickly. She needs to see the victims’ wounds.

 

If the gunshot wound to the head wasn’t the shot that killed Harold, then it was clearly a ploy of hatred and/or jealousy. Unfortunately, there’s not much to see of Harold Bernguy, due to his head being, you know, blown off. Most of his body is covered with a sheet, so Lauren moves to the next picture.

 

As Lauren suspected, Hillary had been stabbed in the carotid artery. At a quick glance, it looks like it was evenly severed. Lauren also figures that the femoral artery has been severed as well, but again, the sheet covers anything else that she could look at. Just as she’s about to turn the page, Lauren finds something…odd.

 

“That’s weird,” she murmurs, picking up the page and holding it close to her face. The elementary teacher looks gaunt. Her cheeks are sunken, and her face is pale, even for a dead stab wound victim. Lauren’s seen enough crime scene photos (without her parents’ permission, of course) and enough corpses to know how pale a person should be at death. The skin on her neck looks agitated, almost like she was picking at it. She has a scab on her nose.

 

Lauren furrows her eyebrows, flips back to the picture of Harold, and looks at his neck. His skin looks loose around his neck, but, like Hillary, there are scabs on his neck and collarbone.

 

_ Jon had some of those, too. Never on his neck, but usually on his face or his hands. He never wore short sleeves, even though we live in Santa Barbara, where it never gets below 70 degrees. _

 

Lauren closes her eyes and places these three individuals together.

 

Harold, facing a divorce, has to give up a lot of money in an effort to get a good deal out of the divorce. Probably will lose the kids.

 

Hillary, working at an elementary school. Very private, not much is known, but she might have a case of severe depression or she might have lost family members.

 

Jon, overly stressed about school and being who everyone expects him to be, including president of the United States, even though his cousin died in a car crash about six months ago.

 

All of them, stressed out or hurting. All of them with scabs on their face or other areas. All of them gaunt and underweight.

 

Her eyes snap open.

 

All of them were addicted to heroin.

 

**

 

“Did you know that Jon Hodges was addicted to heroin?”

 

Nick looks up from his book, shakes his head, and sticks his nose back in his book. “Hello to you, too, Lauren.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes and sits in Nick’s spinning chair. “No, but I’m serious, Nick.” She steeples her fingers, presses her index fingers to her lips, and peers at him over the tips of her fingernails. “Did you know that?”

 

Nick purses his lips and sets his book down. “That would explain why he seemed spaced out and oddly happy for a guy who lost his cousin. And how he would get agitated on the days we had to stay in for lunch instead of being allowed to go off campus.”

 

Lauren touches the tip of her nose with her index finger.  _ “And _ it would explain the scabs on his face and hands and how he always wore long sleeves, even though it’s always 900 degrees outside.”

 

Nick rolls his eyes. “You would boil in that kind of heat, Lorrie.” He pushes himself up on his bed. “But what springs this on? Why do you randomly bring up Jon Hodges? You never thought he was cute.”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “He’s not. But I heard a rumor that he was addicted to heroin, and now it all checks out.”

 

Nick narrows his eyes at her. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the case that our parents just took on, would it?”

 

Lauren presses her lips together. “…no.”

 

Nick throws a glance to his door, gets up quickly, and shuts the door. “What the  _ hell, _ Lauren? My dad even told me not to get involved with this thing.” He pauses. “Not that he thinks I want to in the first place, but he knows  _ you _ because you’re just like your dad, and he knows that you’ll end up dragging me into this.”

 

Lauren spins the chair once and crosses her arms. “I overheard my dad talking about what Woody said in the coroner’s report. I didn’t catch anything on the other two, but I did hear about Jon, since I know him. Nick, he’s dead. That’s a bad thing.”

 

Nick groans and rubs his chin. “I  _ get _ that he’s dead, Lorrie, but you’re still snooping around where you don’t belong! I can’t believe –”

 

Lauren shakes her head and holds up her index finger. “My question is: where would he get the drugs? I mean, it’s possible that he found a dealer on the streets,  _ but _ the more likely situation is that he knew someone at school who was already into – why are you giving me that face?”

 

Nick increases his glare level from 49 to 67, just so that Lauren knows enough to stop talking. “Lorrie, you don’t know what –”

 

“What I’m getting into, yes, I know, I’ve heard it only forty-eight times already in the past twenty-four hours. I’m just trying to figure it out so that  _ when _ my parents stay up all night trying to figure this thing out, and then when they are tired and stressed and start yelling at each other, I’ll have something to give them. No one else can connect me to what’s going on.”

 

Nick huffs and shakes his head. “Lauren, just don’t. Leave this to your parents, my dad, and Lassiter. Even your grandfather is helping out when he’s not too busy babysitting  _ you. _ They’re all qualified investigators. Let it be.”

 

Lauren’s jaw slackens, and she stands up, indignant that Nick would even try and tell her to stay out of it. “You mean to tell me that one of our classmates  _ died _ – I don’t care about whether or not you liked him – and you’re telling me not to help? That’s wrong! We knew him! He wasn’t even eighteen when he died!” She shakes her head and sits back down.

 

Nick groans. “Lauren…this is a case for adults. You’re not an adult.  _ I’m _ not an adult. Sure, you’re a crack shot, but you can’t carry a gun until you’re 21, or until you become a police officer. Henry didn’t teach you what it feels like when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun.” He licks his lips and sits on the edge of his bed. “You forget, Lauren, he did stare down the barrel of a gun from two feet away, and he got shot. He was a trained cop, one of the best in his day, saved our dads way too many times for either of them to count, and even  _ he _ froze when he saw a gun pointed at his face. And all he did was find out an old friend was a dirty cop. Our dads have been held at gunpoint for less. This triple homicide case with no leads? If you find out who did it, you’re screwed.”

 

Lauren runs a hand through her hair and blows out a breath through her lips. “Well, what a ray of sunshine you are.”

 

“Listen, if it was theft, I would help you out. If it was some kind of auto theft, I would hop on that. Insurance fraud, sure. But murder? That’s too much. It’s out of our hands at this point, Lauren.” Nick digs his fists into the mattress and leans forward, trying to catch Lauren’s eye. “Let it go.”

 

Lauren presses her lips together into a thin, firm line and shakes her head. “You see, that’s where you don’t know me, Nick. I can’t let this go. People died, for no reason, and the person who did it is out there, running around scott-free.” This time, she leans forward. She’s close enough to see Nick’s eyelashes and the freckle right underneath his left eye. “I’m not asking you to help me, but I’m begging you not to tell anyone else that I’m going to solve this case.”

 

Nick licks his lips, ducks his head, and shakes his head once. “Lauren, it’s illegal.”

 

“My dad lied about being psychic for a good many years before he finally came clean to the chief, Lassie, and my mom. Your father and mine break and enter into crime scenes and commit a number of crimes to solve cases. Do you really think I care about legality?”

 

Nick almost laughs. A breath of air huffs from his nose, but his smile is humorless, tight. His eyes are angry and afraid. “I know you don’t, but I wish to God you did. We have one dead classmate already, Lauren. I don’t want you to make it be two, and I don’t want  _ you  _ to be the unlucky one.” He swallows heavily. “I know you won’t forget it, no matter how many times I ask you to, but I will ask that you be extremely careful, and tell your mom about what you found out. She knows what to do with it, and she  _ can _ do something about it.”

 

Lauren twists her lips and then reaches out and covers Nick’s fist with her hand. “I will take your words under advisement.”

 

Nick nods in defeat. “Take care of yourself, alright?”

 

Lauren grins brightly, stands up, kisses Nick’s cheek, and laughs when he groans in embarrassment. “Don’t I always?”

 

Nick scrubs his cheek, trying to get any remaining Lauren germs off of it. “Famous last words.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are always appreciated!


	5. What are You Going to Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren has something, but now she needs to tell someone who can do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Julie…you _will_ cry with this chapter.

Karen Vick prides herself on being observant. Sure, she knows now that Shawn Spencer is hyper-observant rather than psychic, but she has a deeper layer of observation than he ever could. As a mother, she knows how to pick up on cues that no one else would even imagine could be of any importance.

 

Two days after she announced the case to her detectives, Psych, and Henry, Lauren is back in her office, but she’s not moving around, and she’s not demonstrating her normal symptoms of boredom. Lauren had stolen her spinning chair, and she slowly turns it back and forth. Her brow is crinkled, and she focuses on one spot on the floor, running her thumb over her bottom lip.

 

Karen flicks her eyes over Lauren’s form again, shakes her head, and signs off on the reports that McNab had just brought in. Lauren doesn’t have any music playing, nor is she trying to entertain herself with the goings on outside of the office. She’s completely focused, and Karen has a feeling over what she’s focusing on, but then, she has no proof.

 

Karen sighs. “What’s your crush’s name?”

 

Lauren keeps staring at the spot, but when she feels Karen’s eyes boring into her skull, she shakes herself out of her daze and looks up. “Huh?”

 

Karen smiles softly. “Your crush,” she says. “What’s his name?”

 

Lauren blinks a few times, trying to bring herself back to the present. “My crush?”

 

_ Jesus, how out of it is she? _ Karen nods slowly. “Yes, Lauren. Your crush. What’s his name?”

 

Lauren furrows her brow and then figures out who Karen must be talking about. “Oh! The Texas guy! His name is Colin.”

 

Karen lets out a breath of relief.  _ Unless she actually took her medication today, she’s not drugged. Everything’s fine. _ “Well, do you have a picture of Colin?”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “Nah. He came into the school too late for school pictures, and according to his instagram, he’s not very photogenic.”

 

Karen purses her lips and surveys Lauren again. Usually, she doesn’t shut up, and it takes a feat of God to close her mouth for longer than twenty-three seconds. On the very few occasions that Karen’s seen her on her medicine, she has been out of it, very quiet, but not quite like this. “What’s on your mind, Lauren?”

 

Lauren licks her lips, raises her eyebrows, and shrugs. She looks small, like a typical teenager hiding under their shirt. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

 

Karen nods at her. “You’re quiet today. I think this is the least you’ve ever talked in the entire time I’ve known you.”

 

Lauren blinks. “Oh. Well, I’m just not in the mood to talk today.”

 

Karen sighs. “Did you take your ADHD medicine today?”

 

Lauren shakes her head slowly. “I don’t even know where it is anymore. Mom should, but she knows that I’m not going to take it most of the time anyways. She tried to get me to take it when I was younger, but I just never did.” She crosses her arms and leans back in her chair. “I’m just– I’m tired, Chief. I didn’t sleep all that well last night.”

 

Karen twists her lips. She wants to keep Lauren talking, both to get her mind off of whatever it is and also because the silence coming from Lauren is unnerving, but she can’t make her do what she doesn’t want to do. Lauren’s not going to talk, and she’s going to give short answers only. “Alright. Well…if you need to take a nap, my couch is always open.”

 

_ What the hell is going on? _

 

**

 

Lauren Isabelle loves to sleep. Aside from talking and solving puzzles, sleeping is probably her favorite life activity. Eating is up there on the list, too, but that’s not important information information. What’s important is that Lauren goes to bed no later than midnight, even on weekends or breaks, and she’ll usually sleep late. There have been many a day that Lauren went to school in sweatpants and her dad’s sweatshirt, having barely brushed her teeth. If possible, Gran will swing by the school during Lauren’s study hall and drop off a change of clothes so that Lauren doesn’t have to endure the judgmental stares. Oftentimes, Nick knows when these days happen, and he wears one of Lauren’s favorite shirts and trades with her when she gets into the school building (there’s a bathroom that doesn’t work on the second floor in the history hall; Nick will ask to go to the bathroom and meet Lauren there, and they switch shirts. If she forgot to wear a bra – as has been the case three different times – she’ll go into one of the stalls, change, and then hand him her dad’s hoodie).

 

_ Anyways, _ Lauren is a fan of sleep, but right now, she can’t stop thinking about this case. Clearly, the heroin connection is real, so that means the murderer was probably another addict or the actual dealer. Something connects the three of them, and Lauren’s  _ trying _ to figure out what it is, but she doesn’t know enough. She figures that all three murders were premeditated, especially considering who the killer targeted. I mean, come  _ on! _ A rich balding guy in the middle of a divorce? An elementary school art teacher who likely has some form of mental illness? Jon, with all of his stresses that he just needed something to drown it out in?

 

And furthermore, the way each of them were murdered makes the most sense. Had the murderer had time to dump them somewhere else, Harold would have been thought to have been shot by his ex-wife or a jealous mistress, Hillary would have been thought to merely have been mugged by someone whacked out on crack, and Jon would have been thought to have overdosed on heroin. Jon’s would have come as a mild shock, but not a big enough surprise for people to disregard it entirely. The killer was smart, but he ran out of time.

 

Ran out of time.

 

Lauren closes her eyes and mentally recalls a map of Santa Barbara, and as she does, she places the warehouse exactly where it’s supposed to be. Her mouth moves silently as she thinks through the streets, shifts through buildings and disregards each, until she’s standing in front of the warehouse. Mentally, she glances over her shoulder and makes note of every single building nearby…a store that’s probably a drug front, a small law firm that has long since closed, and a church. Life Church, to be exact. It’s small, only about fifty members, and the members had rented out another old run-down building on the same street until they could build their own church. Someone must have been passing by…

 

Lauren’s eyes snap open, and she rushes out of her room and looks for her parents. Consequences be damned, she knows what she needs now: a list of every member of that church, Jon’s phone (based on what Nick’s told her, they can subpoena his text messages), Hillary’s health history, and exactly what was happening the day they were all murdered.

 

She pokes her head into her dad’s man cave, but then she remembers that he and Uncle Gus are having a movie night over at Uncle Gus’s place. They’re supposed to be talking about the case, but Mom and Lauren both know that “talking over the case at Gus’s” translates to “we’re going to binge watch movies and/or television, bring up the topic once, and then, when I have to go home, Gus will bring up the case and be serious about it and nothing will get done.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes and groans.

 

“What is it, sweetie?”

 

Lauren whirls around and presses her back against the doorframe. “Mom,” she says, holding her hand up to her chest, “you startled me.”

 

Mom purses her lips and shifts hers and Dad’s hamper to her other hip. “Honey, it’s past midnight. You’re usually in bed by now.” She walks up to Lauren and presses her hand against her forehead. “Are you feeling alright?”

 

Lauren reaches up and gently pushes her mom’s hand away from her forehead. “No, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that…” She rocks up onto the balls of her feet and rubs the back of her neck. “How’s the case going?”

 

Mom furrows her brow. “It’s difficult, but we might be able to solve it. It’ll just take some time for us to solve it.”

 

Lauren lets out a breath through her lips.  _ What do you have to lose? _ “Did you notice the heroin connection?” She licks her lips and plows on ahead, even though she caught the way her mom’s eyes flashed, even though she’s about to get the biggest lecture of her entire life. “And the murderer had to have run out of time! That’s why each of the murders was different, and then there’s a church nearby, and they were all murdered on Monday, and so someone might have seen them because there’s a really small church nearby, so I would check the list of members and –”

 

Mom sets her hamper down. “Are you on this case now, Lauren?”

 

Lauren winces. “No…I mean yes? Kinda?” She holds up both hands. “I’m fine! I promise! I just saw the case file, and I know I shouldn’t have –”

 

“Damn right you shouldn’t have!” Mom glances around and takes a step closer. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Do you have any idea what you’re getting into?” Mom shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair. “Lauren, what in the hell possessed you to directly  _ disobey _ your father, grandfather, chief of police, and head detective of the SBPD? You’re lucky your father hasn’t found out.”

 

Lauren tries to retreat into her shoulders. “You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?”

 

“Damn straight I’m going to tell him! Lauren, this is so remarkably dangerous. I can’t  _ believe _ you would –”

 

Lauren buries her face in her hands and then pushes her hair back, away from her face. “Mom, I just looked at the file! I haven’t gone to investigate or anything, I just made some connections! Come on, you’ve gotta just  _ listen _ to me, I promise –”

 

Mom shakes her head. “No, Lauren, you don’t  _ get _ it! ‘Do not get involved with this case’ means don’t do  _ anything _ surrounding this case! Criminals always find out who put them in jail, and I don’t want to have to deal with –” Her voice cracks, and Mom closes her eyes and takes a moment to compose herself. “I don’t want to have to deal with losing you, Lauren. It’s too much for me to even think about.” She sniffles and rubs her nose. “So,  _ listen _ to me and stay the fuck away!”

 

Lauren grits her teeth and shakes her head. “Why won’t you just  _ listen _ to  _ me? _ I get that you’re worried, and I get that I shouldn’t have looked at the case file, but all that is done and past, and you can’t  _ fix _ that! Dad and I both have an eidetic memory, so as soon as we see something, it is in our brains for the rest of our lives! But why shouldn’t I  _ use _ that and help you?”

 

“Because you’re seventeen years old!” Mom screams.

 

“I may be seventeen, but I can help, alright?!” Lauren points emphatically at herself. “I’m not a little child that– that– that needs to be  _ babysat _ or locked away in some giant  _ tower. _ I’m almost legally an adult, Mom, and right now, I’m not  _ asking _ that you let me join the case, I’m  _ asking _ that you’ll  _ listen _ to what I have to –”

 

Mom laughs bitterly and shakes her head. “When will you learn?” she says slowly. “When will you and your father learn that you can’t solve everything? When will you learn that ‘stay away’ means ‘stay away’ – there is no hidden meaning in those two words. When will you learn to just do as you’re told?”

 

Lauren sets her jaw and lifts her chin defiantly. “Maybe when my mother will actually listen to me.”

 

“Lauren, you disobeyed –”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I fucking get it! I disobeyed! I’m such a terrible person! But, Mom, I’m telling you, I have stuff that can  _ help _ you, Dad, Uncle Lassie, and Uncle Gus solve –”

 

“I don’t give a shit, Lauren! It’s too –”

 

Lauren shakes her head rapidly and tries to resist the urge to scream. “It’s too fucking dangerous! No shit! It’s not like I haven’t heard that before! But you’re risking the lives of innocent people by not listening to m–”

 

Mom’s eyes flash, and she moves forward. Lauren presses her back into the wood of the doorframe. “Don’t you dare accuse me of putting innocent people at risk, Lauren. I’m doing my job to protect this city, but I also have to protect _you._ _You_ are my first priority. You always will be my first priority. And, dammit, you’re throwing yourself into unnecessary danger –”

 

“I’m not throwing myself into danger, Mom! I’m trying to tell you important information that could shut your case with the snap of your fingers! I’m stepping back! If you would just fucking  _ listen _ to me, I –”

 

Mom sighs sadly and shakes her head. “Lauren, I appreciate your enthusiasm to become a cop. I really do. But you aren’t old enough to become a police officer just yet. Please, Lauren, just let me do my job.” She wipes her cheeks. “Your father will be home soon. I suggest you get to bed, or else this fight is going to pale in comparison to the fight you and your father are going to have.” She brushes Lauren’s hair away from her face, grabs her hamper, and hurries toward the laundry room.

 

Lauren watches her mother leave, presses her lips together, and shakes her head sadly. “If you aren’t going to listen to me,” she murmurs, “then I’m going to have to solve this case all by myself.” She sighs heavily and licks her lips. “I am going to make sure that innocent people aren’t put at risk because of this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are always appreciated!


	6. Babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren is not trusted to be left alone. Can you really blame her for wanting to solve this case? Look at who raised her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly later update, but an update on the same day nonetheless. Now just to get onto my other fic…

As her mom said, the fight between Lauren and her father is absolutely legendary. It’s a tooth-gritting, blood-curdling, drag-down fight. Lauren had hoped that her father would attempt to listen to her about the whole “I think I have something that can help you solve the case,” but he refuses to listen. He’s too focused on what  _ could _ happen to her that he won’t listen to what she has now. She doesn’t want credit, she just wants people to be safe.

 

However, her parents want  _ her _ to be safe, to the point that they appoint Gran as Lauren’s babysitter.

 

Lauren buries her face into the couch pillow and groans. Her parents figured that she would try and solve the case as much as she could with her phone and/or computer, so Gran is under strict instructions not to allow Lauren to get on any electronics.

 

Gran steps into the room and wipes her hands on a kitchen towel. She sighs. “Lauren, honey, do you want to help me with the brownies?”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “No.”

 

“You’d get to lick the spatula.”

 

Lauren grabs the blanket at her feet and pulls it up over her head. “No.”

 

“These brownies aren’t for your grandfather, you know. He’s not even supposed to eat them anymore.”

 

Lauren shakes her head emphatically. “I said  _ no, _ Gran. No means no. I don’t want to help you make brownies, I don’t want to lick the stupid spatula, I don’t want to do anything.”

 

Gran sighs again and walks over to the couch, perching on the armrest by Lauren’s head. “You know, honey,” she says, reaching out and pulling the blanket off Lauren’s head. She starts combing her fingers through Lauren’s hair. “We’re just worried about you.”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes. “That’s all fine and dandy, but it’s not like I’m going to pull a Dad and throw myself headfirst into danger. I tried to tell Mom and Dad about something I figured out, but they won’t listen.” Lauren presses her fists into the cushions and pushes herself up. “I knew one of the victims, Gran. He went to my school before he was killed. I didn’t know him very well, and I know Nick hates him, but I know enough to know that he was murdered. I also know that –” She shakes her head. “Never mind. You don’t care. And even if you did, you can’t do anything about it.”

 

Gran frowns. “I do care, Lauren. I just wish– I know now that you’re not throwing yourself unnecessarily into danger, but criminals will find out anything.” She pauses in combing Lauren’s hair and takes a shaky breath. “When your father first faced Yang, he gave up on the case because he wanted to play by his rules. But Yang found me. There’s no reason she should have known where I was staying, or even who I am, but she did.” Gran tucks a strand of hair behind Lauren’s ear. “And they hate to be put away.”

 

Lauren sighs and moves so that she’s sitting up, leaning against the couch, as her grandmother brushes her hair with her fingers. “Still, even if you do care – which I’m not entirely convinced you are, since you were a psychologist –, you can’t do anything about it.”

 

Gran purses her lips and nods slowly. “Maybe not. I certainly can’t do anything by myself, but I can always call your father or grandfather.”

 

Lauren turns to her grandmother with wide eyes. “If Dad and I had a drag-down fight complete with threats and a level of fighting that matches what I’ve heard about Dad’s and Grampo’s fights, then you and Grampo…Grampo won’t let you say anything. He’ll freak out too much. And Dad certainly will get mad, now that everyone he needs to protect won’t let themselves be protected…”

 

Gran smiles softly. “Your grandfather will listen to me. He may be mad, and we may fight about it later, but he will listen. He knows that I will talk if something’s important, and he also knows no one can stop me. Your father…” Gran shakes her head and sighs. “He’s so much like your grandfather. Shawn’s never been really mad at me – always took it out on his father – but he would be mad about this.”

 

Lauren drops her head into her hands. “So there’s no way of winning?”

 

Gran sighs. “What do you have, Lauren?”

 

“There’s a church near where the bodies were discovered. There’s something important about that –” Lauren’s eyes grow wide, and she sits up straight. “I’ve got it,” she whispers. “I’ve fucking  _ got _ it!”

 

Gran lightly smacks Lauren’s shoulder. “Watch your language.”

 

Lauren shakes her head and stands up, bouncing around the room. “The church is the key thing here, Gran! It’s a new-ish church, but I’ve never really heard of people joining it, except, like, individually. There are no young kids involved in that church. Jon started going there at the beginning of this school year!” She bounces on the balls of her feet. “Gran, I need to see who all went to that church! That’s it! We can figure it all out from there!”

 

Gran sighs heavily and shakes her head. “Honey, you aren’t allowed to be a part of this case.”

 

“Too late! I’ve figured it out! Come on, let me have my phone just so I can look it up! Please, Gran, I know what I’m doing! I’ll just send a link to Mom and Dad!”

 

Gran shakes her head again. “The answer is no, Lauren.”

 

Lauren sighs in defeat and looks down at her feet. She bites her bottom lip and then looks up again. “Well, can I go to Nick’s house? You’re not even letting me watch tv.”

 

Gran rolls her eyes. “We have a massive library of books, Lauren. It’s not like you’re pressed for entertainment.”

 

Lauren starts backing toward the door. “But annoying Nick is definitely more entertaining.”

 

Gran narrows her eyes at Lauren. “You and your father…Shawn did the same thing with Gus.”

 

Lauren grins brightly. “So I can go?”

 

Gran rolls her eyes again and waves her hand. “Yeah, yeah, alright. You can go.”

 

Lauren holds out her hand. “I will need my phone, then.”

 

Gran glares at her, but she pulls Lauren’s phone out of her pocket and places it in her hand nonetheless.

 

**

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

Lauren growls, drops her phone on Nick’s desk, and turns around to face him. “Listen, Nick, I’m not doing this to prove myself or whatever bull –”

 

Nick crosses his arms and stands in front of his computer. “No, Lauren. I know you. Since your mom shut you out – or is it off?” He furrows his brow, then decides it doesn’t matter and shakes his head. “Whatever. Ever since your mom shut you down about this, you’ve had a death wish. I get that whatever this person did was bad, but –”

 

Lauren’s eyes widen, and she scoffs.  _ “Bad?” _ she says.  _ “Bad _ is when you cheat off of someone’s test.  _ Bad _ is when you run into a parked car in the parking lot and drive off, pretending as if nothing’s happened. This is  _ awful. _ Some person murdered three different people, exploited their addiction, and cleaned up his mess very well. He’s still out there, Nick! I’m just trying to figure out who did it!”

 

Nick licks his lips and nods furiously. “I know you are! And I also know that you’re not going to tell either of your parents about it because you’re so damn scared of another drag-down fight. I know that, once you find out who did it, you’re going to take off after whoever you suspect. I know that you’re probably going to get yourself killed in the process. I’m not going to be an accessory to your suicide mission. If you figure it out, you’re not going to do it on my computer.”

 

Lauren opens her mouth to shout but thinks the better of it, closes her mouth, and steps forward. “Nick,” she says calmly, placing her hands on his arms. “I know that you’re worried sick. I know that you’re not getting any sleep over me trying to fix this damn thing, but I can’t leave this alone. Not if I know how to stop it. And no one’s going to listen to me – Gran might, but Grampo will be too worried about her to really listen to what she has to say – and someone else is going to get hurt.”

 

Nick sighs and squeezes her wrist gently. “People will listen to you, Lorrie. It’s kind of hard not to.”

 

Lauren offers him a weak smile. “No one who can actually do something about this case will listen to me. Your dad will just rat on me – his loyalty is to my father more than me – and Uncle Lassie will lecture me about justice, and then he’ll tell my mom. No one’s going to listen, Nick. I’ve got to do this on my own.”

 

Nick shakes his head and laughs humorlessly. “You’re going to get yourself killed, Lauren.”

 

Lauren shrugs. “Maybe. But isn’t it better for one person to die than for several more people to die?” She sniffles and blinks back tears. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Nicky. We learned that a long time ago, when we were just kids.”

 

Nick shakes his head almost imperceptibly and touches his forehead to Lauren’s. “Those people aren’t you, Lauren. The people who are going to die – if your hunch is correct – are all drug addicts, Lorrie. They’re not going to seek help. You’ll die in vain.”

 

Lauren licks her lips and moves her hands from Nick’s arms to cup his face in her hands. “Their lives aren’t worth any less than mine just because they have an addiction, Nick. You, of all people, should believe that.”

 

Nick sighs. “I know. I know. But…Lauren, you’re my best friend. I’ve grown up with you. I can’t– I can’t lose you. Not to something like this.”

 

“I’ve gotta do it, Nick.”

 

“Do what? Become a vigilante and go against the wishes of everyone who cares about you, everyone who loves you, everyone who would willingly die for you? Even if it wasn’t illegal, you’re still hurting the people who love you most.”

 

“Nick, give me your computer.”

 

Nick sighs and steps away from her. “There’s no stopping you, is there?”

 

Lauren smiles sadly at him. “No, Nick. I’m going to do it somehow, someway. If you don’t let me, then I’ll go to the library, or I’ll look it up at two in the morning, or I’ll find  _ some _ way…I’m doing it, with or without your help.”

 

Nick shakes his head, reaches behind him, and grabs his laptop. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Lorrie.”

 

Lauren shrugs. “Well, knowing who our dads are, I would be concerned if you didn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews…are the best things ever and I love them


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren now has a pretty definite suspect. Could she die? Probably. But she wouldn’t be Shawn Spencer’s daughter if she let that small detail deter her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have posted this sooner, but my school hates me.

Jarrod Luntz is the senior pastor at Life Church. He’s in charge of fifty members, but that’s not all that important. He holds interviews for new members. All of his members show similar signs of drug addiction that Jon, Harold, and Hillary showed. Furthermore, Jarrod Luntz never attended seminary. In fact, he has a rap sheet as long as Lauren’s arm.

 

Convicted felon with charges of drug possession with intent to sell, child molestation (gross), and illegal possession of a firearm. Now, Lauren’s all about believing that people can change from being terrible to being good, but in the case of Jarrod Luntz, she thinks she might want to make an exception.

 

Lauren looks up from Nick’s computer and winces when she sees how he’s sitting at the edge of his bed, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip, brow furrowed, and chest rising a little too rapidly to be normal. She’s doing this to him, and she knows she needs to stop it, but she also needs to stop this murderer from killing again.

 

“Nick?” She gulps, licks her lips, and straightens up slowly. “Nick, I need to get to that church.”

 

Nick looks up. His shoulders sag, and the look on his face is one entirely of defeat. “I know.”

 

“I need a way to get there.”

 

“Why don’t you walk?”

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and takes a tentative step forward. “My parents are going to be swinging by Gran’s in about an hour. I won’t make it to the church by then.” She wrings her hands. “I need to borrow your car.”

 

Nick laughs sadly and shakes his head slightly. “You’re asking me to give you a suicide vehicle.”

 

Lauren kneels in front of Nick and covers his hands with her own. “I’m not suicidal, Nick. I’m just…I just want to make sure that he’s not going to do anything bad to anyone else.”

 

“And you’re going to get yourself killed, Lauren. Why are you the only person who can’t see that possibility?”

 

Lauren smiles sadly. “You know my father. He taught me to think that I was invincible.”

 

“You can die, Lauren. People can beat you, they can outsmart you, they can hurt you. It’s not worth it.”

 

Lauren licks her lips and pats Nick’s hands. “Listen, if you won’t give me the keys to your car, then I’ll walk there, but it’s more dangerous. Please, Nick.”

 

Nick shakes his head and presses his lips to Lauren’s forehead. “I can’t lose you, Lauren.”

 

“I’ve told you a thousand times, I’m going anyways. I would just rather use a vehicle.” She tilts her head to look him in the eyes. “Nick, please, I’m begging you.”

 

Nick sighs heavily and reaches into his pocket. “I’ll give them to you,” he says lowly, “on the condition that you take care of yourself.”

 

Lauren nods rapidly. “Of course. Of course, Nick, I promise, I’ll be careful.”

 

Nick places the keys in her hand, but before she can take off, he grabs her hand. She searches his eyes. “Nick?”

 

He places his free hand on her cheek. “Just in case,” he whispers, “I want you to- I want you to know– look, I need you to know how much you mean to me.”

 

Lauren nods her head almost imperceptibly and cups Nick’s face in her free hand. “It’s alright.”

 

Nick leans forward and gently brushes his lips against Lauren’s. He’s about to pull away, but Lauren chases after him and presses her lips against his. Nick’s heart pounds in his chest, but he doesn’t mind, for once in his life.

 

Lauren kisses him once more, smiles sadly at him, and pulls free from his grip.

 

Nick watches after her and shakes his head. “How is it,” he wonders, “that our fathers were best friends, closer than brothers, and we are best friends, but we fell in love?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are always appreciated!!


	8. Maybe Should Have Planned a Bit More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren may or may not be in over her head. Really, it's just a flip of the coin at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! Sooooo sorry that I didn't get this chapter up last week! Last Tuesday was just extremely busy for me, and I completely forgot about it. And then I kept forgetting about it. This entire fic is finished, I just did a dumb and didn't add onto it.
> 
> But I'm back now!!! And there's a new chapter!!! Because life happens and I'm pissed at a lot of things so I'm burying myself into my writing!!! Here you go!!!

Lauren has to take a moment to herself when she first parks the car outside of Life Church. She steadies her shaking hands on the steering wheel and bows her head. “There’s no proof that Luntz is going to be here now,” she says to herself. “I could just be freaking out over nothing, but I have enough to tell Mom and Dad now.”

 

She shuts off the engine, gets out of the car, and locks the doors. Tucking Nick’s key into her pocket, she takes a tentative step towards the church.

 

_ Luntz interviews anyone who wants to join. _

 

_ Jon only joined after junior year started. He never really talked about it in depth, but he’d usually either be really loopy on Mondays or really pissed off. _

 

_ Luntz is a criminal. He might be a born-again man, but he still hasn’t gone to seminary. He’s not technically a preacher. _

 

Lauren’s not used to the taste of bile on her tongue, but she swallows it down and keeps walking. For all her planning, for all her insistence, she never thought about what she would do when she confronted her suspect. She doesn’t know where to begin. Does she ask for an interview? Does she just accuse him straight away? She should have asked Dad for some pointers.

 

“Lauren, what are you doing here?”

 

Lauren spins on her heel, holding her hand up to her chest. Her heart pounds so furiously that it hurts, and she thinks it’s going to come flying out of her chest, but she notices a familiar face and tilts her head. “Colin? What are you doing here?”

 

Colin looks around and shakes his head. “My uncle is the pastor at this church. I have nothing better to do, so I’m helping him out today.”

 

Lauren swallows heavily.  _ He knows about it. Chief Vick was right – he  _ is _ a drug dealer. _ “I, uh…I heard Jon – you- you know, Jon Hodges – talk about this church, and I thought– I thought it might be worth checking out.” She laughs nervously. “My family’s been thinking about joining a new church, but –”

 

Colin smiles, but his smile is cold and calculated. “Well, this church is very selective about its members. There’s an interview process and everything.”

 

Lauren tries to pretend to be surprised, and she tilts her head. “Oh? How come?” When Colin’s eyes shift from cold and calculated to hot and dangerous, Lauren shakes her head. “I-I- I just mean that, well, most churches don’t– well, the fact that you interview members– I mean, it’s worse than– well, I’ve never heard– I mean, maybe Scientology, but I’ve never heard of a Christian denomination in-interviewing their, um, their members.” She takes a step back, away from Colin.

 

The door behind her swings open, and Lauren jumps. Luntz steps outside and flashes her a greedy smile. “Well, well, if it isn’t a golden child.”

 

Lauren licks her lips. “I’m sorry, I don’t– I don’t understand.”

 

Luntz grabs her by the arm and pulls her into the church. “Why are you really here?”

 

Lauren winces at Luntz’s grip. “I– I just thought that this was a church for– for everyone.”

 

Luntz drags her into the church building, and the door slams shut behind them. Lauren glances over her shoulder and notices Colin following them. “I call bullshit on that, ma’am. Why are you really here?”

 

“I thought I  _ told _ you that –”

 

Luntz growls and slams Lauren into the wall. Her head snaps back and hits the wall. “I told you to can the bullshit, Lauren Spencer. Now why the fuck are you here?”

 

Lauren gulps audibly. “You know– it-it’s been years since I’ve gone to church, but I’m– I’m pretty sure pastors aren’t allowed– or supposed to, really – to use language like that. But it might be a new thing! Again, it’s been a while since I’ve been– been to church.”

 

Luntz shakes his head. “Listen to me, I will let you go, but only as long as you don’t tell the cops about this.”

 

Lauren suddenly remembers why she’s there in the first place, and her resolve hardens. She sets her jaw and looks Luntz dead in the eyes. “Don’t tell them what? That you’re running an illegal drug operation from a  _ church? _ Or that you ‘interview’ your members to see if they’re at a place of vulnerability, and then you sell them heroin? Or that you’re a convicted felon who has never gone to seminary school? Or that there’s probably at least fifty pounds of heroin stashed somewhere in this super small building? What  _ don’t _ you want me to tell the police, Mr. Luntz? There’s a long list of things.”

 

Luntz swears and glances over his shoulder at Colin. “Do you know her?”

 

Colin shrugs. “Not very well. I have a couple of classes with her.”

 

“Do you know who her parents are?”

 

Colin nods. “Well, yeah, of course. Everyone knows that her mom is a detective for the police and her dad is a psychic. You’d have to be stupid not to know that.”

 

Luntz growls and turns back to Lauren. “What do you  _ think _ you know, little girl?”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes. “First, I’m almost an adult. I wouldn’t say that I’m a ‘little girl.’ Secondly, here’s what I do know: three members of your church – Harold Bernguy, Hillary Undelwood, and Jon Hodges – were all killed at the warehouse next door, but I would now presume that they were killed here and left at the warehouse. Jon seemed like he was getting better, considering that his life had been pretty bad at the beginning of the school year, so I’m guessing that all three members decided that they were going to seek help from their heroin addiction and leave the church. You didn’t like that because they could come to the police and tell them about your entire operation, where you’re supposed to be helping people who are hurting and offering them Jesus instead of dope, but that’s not 100% the point. The point is that you got scared and pissed, so you probably said that there was a leaving ritual and invited them to the church.”

 

Luntz clenches his jaw and moves his arm to pin Lauren against the wall.

 

Lauren breathes in shakily. “So I’m not far off thus far. You knew that the more ways people were murdered, the more difficulty the police department would have of tracing you. You were expecting this case to go cold. So you tie up Harold, Hillary, and Jon, and you start murdering them. You injected insanely deadly amounts of heroin into Jon’s bloodstream so that it would kill him. You got a knife and stabbed Hillary to death, but you were especially smart about that. You didn’t tear her insides to shreds; instead, you severed her carotid and femoral arteries so that she would bleed out, and then you stabbed her heart. As for Harold, two shots should do it, right? One to the heart, the other to the head. No one suspected the church, so you cleaned up the chairs, dragged them to the warehouse under the guise of night, and voila!” She leans forward, pressing against Luntz’s arm. “Am I getting close?”

 

Luntz sneers. “Colin, take Lauren here over to the warehouse. I’ve got something in mind for her.”

 

Lauren’s eyes widen. “Wh-what do you have in mind for me? ‘Cause I’ve gotta tell ya, fellas, I’m– I’ve gotta be back home in– in time for dinner, and it’s– it’s with my grandparents tonight, so I– I can’t miss it.”

 

Colin wraps his hand around Lauren’s bicep and jerks her away from his uncle. “C’mon.”

 

Lauren squints at Colin. “You really are a bastard, you know? What, were you busted down in Omaha –”

 

“Odessa.”

 

“–  _ Odessa _ for drug possession with intent to sell? Possession of firearms? I really feel like drugs have something to do with this.”

 

Colin grits his teeth. “I sold coke to one of my classmates.”

 

Lauren whistles lowly. “Well, uh…that’s pretty bad. I’ve gotta admit. But why are you here? Not in juvie? Oh, wait, Texas only tries you as adults. So why aren’t you in prison?”

 

Colin lifts one shoulder in a shrug and pushes the door open with his free hand. “It was a first offense. I convinced the court that I would do better under my uncle’s care here in Santa Barbara.”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “You’re sick.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Lauren slows down a little bit, and Colin tries to yank her forward, but she slams her foot into the back of Colin’s knee. His grip loosens, and then she throws her elbow into his face. When he lets go of her completely, she tries to take off for Nick’s car, but she’s immediately stopped by Luntz pointing a gun at her.

 

“Where do you think you’re going, little lady?” Luntz cocks the gun and points it at her chest. “Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, or I will blow your head off. Do I make myself clear?”

 

Lauren’s eyes flick down to the barrel of the gun, and she nods her head rapidly, holding up both hands in surrender. “I got it.”

 

Luntz grins evilly. “Good.” He jerks his gun toward the warehouse. “Now move.”

 

**

 

Nick paces up and down his room, wringing his hands. He figures that he probably should call someone, tell them that Lauren was an idiot and went chasing after a dangerous (potential) criminal, but he knows that she put her trust in him, and she would hate him forever if he blew her entire operation.

 

He licks his lips and glances out his window. Lauren will be fine, right? She can talk her way out of anything. She’s even talked her way out of every detention she should have gotten. Besides, she might not have even gotten to that church yet. No way of knowing how bad the traffic is or if she even knows how to get there.

 

He breathes in shakily, shakes his head once, and resumes his pacing. “She’ll be fine. She’s Lauren Spencer. She’ll be just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the rant up there. It's just…life. But, yeah, as always, reviews and kudos are appreciated.


	9. Missing (Oh, Please, God, Let Her be Alright)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry knows Shawn, and he knows Lauren is exactly like Shawn. When he comes home and she's not there, the only thing he can imagine is that she's in danger.
> 
> Of course she's in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, um……this is weird, guys. This is honestly really weird. I'm almost done with high school, and I have to turn in my school computer today. Everything you've ever seen was written on the school computer. And I'm like,,,,,nostalgic? It's weird. I feel old. Mostly overwhelmed. But also old.

The oven dings, and Maddy slips on her oven mitts, opens the oven door, and slides out the brownie pan. The garage door slams shut, and she glances up, smiling when Henry walks into the kitchen.

 

He grins and makes a beeline for her. “Brownies, huh?”

 

She gently elbows him as much as she’s able to while holding a pan of brownies in her hands. “They’re not for you, you know.” She sets the brownies onto the kitchen island and waves her hand over the brownies to cool them off. “I made them for Lauren. Your cholesterol would not appreciate it.”

 

Henry hums and presses a kiss to her temple. “Speaking of, where is she? The kids and I made a break in the case. I thought she’d be interested.”

 

Maddy raises her eyebrow and leans into Henry’s side. “Oh? What kind of break?”

 

Henry shrugs and reaches for the brownies, quickly pulling his hand away when Maddy reaches to smack it. “We found heroin in all of their homes. Apparently, the kid had been addicted, his parents found out, and they told him that he needed to drop the addiction or they wouldn’t finance his college or anything else. We chased that lead, went to the two other victims’ homes, and found heroin in all of their homes.” He looks around the kitchen. “But, still, where’s Lauren? I would’ve thought she would have come out by now.”

 

Maddy presses her lips together and removes her oven mitts. “She was bored here, so I let her go to Nick’s house.”

 

Henry’s eyes flash, and he steps away from Maddy. “What the  _ hell, _ Maddy? Did you actually think she was going to stay there? If she was going to be there at all?”

 

Maddy sighs and leans against the island. “Henry, she’s seventeen. She’s just like Shawn. I can’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do.”

 

“Maddy, she’s going to be out there chasing a lead! She’s going to get herself killed!” Henry runs his hand over his head. “Mad, she can convince Nick to let her do almost anything. Even if she couldn’t, she would have figured something out anyways and went after whoever she thought was the guilty party.”

 

Maddy takes a step toward Henry, holding out a placating hand. “Henry, you don’t know if she has a suspect yet. You don’t know if anything’s happened to her.” She glances around the kitchen. “Listen, she, Shawn, and Juliet are supposed to be here in about half an hour. If she’s not back before then, then we have reason to worry.”

 

Henry places his hands on his hips and shakes his head. “I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.”

 

Maddy sighs again and puts her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Henry, you never like it whenever your family gets involved. You always had a bad feeling when Shawn was working a case, and now you have an equally bad feeling about Lauren wanting to solve a case. She’ll be fine.”

 

Henry shakes his head again. “It doesn’t feel right, Mad. Not in my gut. I may not know everything, but I know gut feelings. I’m never wrong about a gut feeling. Something’s wrong.”

 

Maddy licks her lips and walks over to the landline. “Listen, if you’re so worried, why don’t you call Gus? I’m sure that Lauren will talk to you and tell you that she’s been annoying the living crap out of Nick.”

 

Henry snatches the phone from her. “I will do just that.” He presses the very familiar number into the landline and holds the phone to his ear. It rings exactly twice, and then Gus picks up.

 

“Mr. Spencer?”

 

“Gus, I’m sorry to bother you like this, but is Lauren there? Maddy said she had gone over there earlier.”

 

Even over the line, Henry can tell that Gus has his brow furrowed. “Uh…no. I mean, she might have headed back home before I got back, but I can ask Nick if she was here earlier.” His voice is muffled when he shouts for Nick, and then his voice comes back clearer. “Nick’s right here; ask him.”

 

Henry waits until Gus hands off the phone to Nick. “Nick, this is very important, and I want you to tell me God’s honest truth: did Lauren come by earlier?”

 

Nick audibly gulps. “Y-yes, sir. She was here earlier.”

 

“Is she still there?”

 

Nick gulps again. “No, uh…she-she left about half an hour ago.”

 

Henry clenches his jaw and grips the phone tighter. “Did she say what she was doing?”

 

“Uh, she– she said that she was going to chase a lead. She –”

 

“Thank you, Nick.” Henry hangs up and turns to Maddy, shoving the landline into her hand. “She went after a lead. She’s not there. Call Shawn and Juliet, tell them to meet me at the station. I don’t know where she went, but I don’t have a good feeling about any of it.”

 

Maddy nods her head gravely. “Of course. Of course.” Before Henry leaves, she grabs his hand. “Henry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think– I didn’t even imagine that she would– that she would do something so brash.” She blinks back tears. “She promised me she wouldn’t do anything stupid, Henry. I’m– I should have known.”

 

Henry sighs and kisses Maddy’s forehead. “Lauren made the choice to go after that lead in the first place, Maddy. And there’s no stopping her when she puts her mind to something. You took her at her word, and it backfired.” He squeezes her hand. “We’ll find her, Mad. I promise.”

 

**

 

Five people convene back at the police station, standing in front of Chief Vick’s desk. Shawn bounces on the balls of his feet, antsy as always, but this time there’s more at stake for him. This time his daughter is God only knows where.

 

The chief sighs and pushes aside the case file. “Now, look, it’s not technically a missing persons case. She hasn’t been gone for 24 hours, and we know that she left Gus’s house of her own accord. However, we do know that she is chasing a lead that could lead down a very dangerous path.” She curls her hands into fists, places them on her desk, and leans forward to look every single one of her detectives – yes, even Henry, Shawn, and Gus – in the eyes. “We need to solve this case in record time. Not because we want or even need to put the criminal behind bars, but so that we can find Lauren and bring her back.” When she notices that Juliet won’t even make eye contact with her, she sighs heavily. “O’Hara, will you at least look at me?”

 

O’Hara looks up. Her face is ghastly pale, her eyes are red and filled with tears, and her lips are pressed together in a thin line. “It’s my fault, Chief. If I’d only listened to her…she kept telling me that she had figured something out, and she wasn’t going to go chasing that lead, but she wanted me to listen to her, and I refused to. It’s my fault, Chief. It’s my own goddamn fault.”

 

Carlton twists his lips and squeezes O’Hara’s shoulder. “O’Hara, it’s not your fault.”

 

O’Hara smacks his hand away. “Yes, it is! I could have prevented all of this! I could have just listened to her and then told you all what she had said, and then none of this would have happened! It’s my fault that it has!”

 

Shawn looks down at his feet and scuffs the tip of his shoe against the wood. “No, Jules,” he says quietly. “It’s not your fault. I got pissed at her just because I was so scared for her, and it just– it spiraled, okay? Only Dad and I ever had fights like that, and…God, I can’t lose her.” He rubs his hand across the back of his neck.

 

Henry shakes his head. “Listen, we can all play the blame game later. Right now, I’m far more interested in finding my granddaughter.”

 

Karen nods. “Henry’s right. Our main priority at this point is finding Lauren.” She points to the table in the corner of her office. “I had Buzz make copies of the case file. Everyone grab a folder and sit down. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews and kudos are appreciated!


	10. Keep Talking (Buy Us Some Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren’s extremely talkative. The detectives hit a brick wall. Maddy is just worried about her granddaughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so out of it currently that I thought this was the long update. Not to worry, though. The long update is next week.
> 
> I know this is earlier than normal, but a) I already forgot one update, and b) I’m currently on a school trip, and I have no idea when I’ll have time to update again. I’m exhausted. My social battery is in the negative numbers currently. I can’t do anything else. I SHOPPED FOR THREE FUCKING HOURS, DAMMIT.
> 
> I would say I’m fine, but I’m definitely not. I can’t take this anymore. I woke up at 5 this morning, and I have been going. Since then. It is 10 pm. That is 17 whole hours of nonstop socializing.
> 
> I need a fucking drink.

“Hey, so Jarrod, um, genuine question, Mr. Luntz: did you know where heroin got its origins?” Lauren holds up her hands and backs up to the wall of the warehouse. The lights hum and flicker, casting a dark shadow across the entire empty room. Dust dances in the few streaks of light, and an odd odor pierces through the air. It smells vaguely like vinegar.

 

Luntz rolls his eyes. “No. I don’t.” Before he can protest Lauren’s talking, she presses forward.

 

“It comes from poppy seeds. The Egyptians used it, but I can’t remember the entirety of how it was used, but I think I remember reading that it helped them build the pyramids. You know, like this massive burst of energy and motivation. And then the Romans used it to prevent, like, constipation or something before people in the Romantic Era used it for practically everything. I mean, doctors prescribed it for a runny nose.”

 

Luntz licks his lips and glares boredly at Lauren. “I really don’t care, to be honest.”

 

Lauren shrugs and presses her back against the cold wall of the warehouse. “I just thought you might be interested. Considering that this is your entire business and all.”

 

“Shut  _ up.” _ Luntz cocks the gun. “Do you know how to shut your mouth?”

 

Lauren shakes her head rapidly. “Absolutely not. See, I have really bad ADHD, and I should be on medication, and fun fact about ADHD: in girls, the hyperactivity manifests as excessive talkativeness, and I haven’t taken my medication in – I think it’s been three? Somewhere around there – years. So, yeah, I’m insanely talkative, and I don’t– I don’t shut up, ever. Ask my best friend, he –”

 

Luntz turns to Colin. “Is she like this in class?”

 

Colin nods gravely. “It gets worse, depending on how bad the teacher is.”

 

Luntz quirks an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me that she’s more scared of a teacher than she is of me, when I’m pointing a gun at her chest?”

 

Lauren lifts her index finger. “If I may interject: I’m scared of my teachers because I know they can call my mom and she’ll whoop my ass – really, she’ll just glare at me until I wither and apologize, it’s happened before – whereas, with you pointing your gun at me, I know that, if you shoot and possibly kill me, I don’t know which of my parents will kill you first. Maybe my grampo, my parents, and my uncles will all take turns beating your ass. I’m just pretty sure that either of my parents are going to be the ones to bash your skull in.”

 

“I swear to God, if you don’t shut up right now, I will blow your head off.”

 

Lauren licks her lips. “I really wouldn’t recommend that. See, my grampo was a cop back in the seventies, and he had to deal with a lot of crap. He taught my dad and me a lot of self defense techniques, and if he finds out you killed me, he’s going to rip your head off. Or shoot you multiple times. I don’t know which. And my mom will literally kill you with her bare hands, and my dad will kill you with three shots to the heart. Now, my uncle Lassie…”

 

“Do you actually want me to shoot you?”

 

Lauren gulps. “I don’t, but I’ve gotta say, I’m talkative normally, but I’m– when I get nervous, I get ridiculously talkative. Like, if I didn’t shut up before, I will not shut up now. Just– just ignore me, I’ll just talk about something of no importance.” She stares at the ground, and then she looks up sharply. “Oh! Have you ever watched  _ Brooklyn Nine-Nine? _ My best friend recommended it to me, and not gonna lie, I have a crush on Andy Samberg. I never thought he was attractive before, but honestly? It works for me.”

 

Luntz sighs heavily. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll let you talk. But if you so much as mention police out of the context of  _ Brooklyn Nine-Nine, _ I will. Shoot you.”

 

**

 

“We have poured over every single known detail of this case,” Lassiter says, dropping his pen on the table. He reaches up and scrubs his hands down his face. “We’ve hit a dead end. There’s no way of knowing where she went.”

 

Shawn shakes his head and pushes his chair back from the table. “No! We can’t give up, Carlton! Not when my baby girl is out there! She could –” his voice breaks. He licks his lips and tries again. “She could have a gun pointed at her head, or she could be dead. We don’t know what’s happened to her, so we’re  _ going _ to comb through this case file until every last one of us has it memorized!”

 

Henry props his chin in one hand and holds up the other to halt Shawn. “That’s not going to do it, Shawn. As much as I’d like to think it would help, combing through the case is not going to help anyone. We need to think like her. We need to know where her mind was going.” He straightens up and looks his son dead in the eyes. “She’s most like you, Shawn. Think. What would you do in this situation?”

 

Shawn licks his lips again. “I– I don’t know.”

 

Juliet slams her hand on the table. “Shawn, you have to know this time! You’ve gotten more accurate information from less, and it’s never been for a case this important! This is our daughter, and dammit, you need to put the pieces together!”

 

Shawn points an accusatory finger at Juliet’s chest. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t started lecturing her!”

 

Juliet stands up and starts shouting over Shawn. “You’re the one who got in such a legendary fight with her that I had to tell the neighbors to ignore you both!”

 

“Shawn! Juliet!” Gus stands up and wedges himself in between them. “You two fighting each other is not going to help Lauren. Yes, we all should have listened to her. But that’s not important right now. We can deal with that later.” He holds out both hands and gently pushes Shawn and Juliet away from each other. “Now, try and remember: did she ever tell you how much she saw of the case file?”

 

Shawn looks down at his feet and bites his bottom lip. “I– I can’t remember her ever mentioning it to me, but the folder looked just barely different when I saw it a couple mornings ago. It was like –”

 

Juliet’s eyes widened. “She only saw up to the coroner’s report. She mentioned something to me about the heroin connection!” She smacks her forehead. “And then something about…checking out the members of the church nearby?”

 

Gus turns to Lassiter. “Lassie?”

 

Lassiter nods, jumps up, and runs to the door of the chief’s office. “McNab!” he shouts.

 

Buzz hurries over to the chief’s office. “Yes, sir?”

 

“What’s that church near the murder scene called?” Lassiter asks over his shoulder.

 

Henry sighs and rubs his forehead. “Life Church. Only fifty or so members.”

 

Lassiter nods and turns back to Buzz. “Life Church,” he repeats, snapping his fingers. He presses his index finger into Buzz’s chest. “I need you to find any and all information surrounding that place. Clearly, Lauren made some kind of connection there, and if there’s only fifty members, we should be able to find a suspect before midnight.”

 

Shawn shakes his head. “That’s not soon enough, Lassie.”

 

Lassiter turns back around. “Well, it’s all we’ve  _ got, _ Spencer. So unless you’ve got a better idea, I suggest –”

 

A shrill sound pierces the air, and every single detective’s hands go to their pockets. “For the love of God,” Karen says, “everyone put their phones on silent!”

 

Henry pulls his phone out of his back pocket. “Karen, it’s Maddy.”

 

Karen shakes her head. “I don’t give a damn  _ who _ it is, Henry, we have –”

 

Henry stands up forcefully, causing the chair to slide back. “Listen, Karen, she knows what’s going on. She knows where I am. She knows that we have no idea where Lauren is. I feel like she might have some very valuable information.”

 

Karen sighs and waves a hand. “Go ahead, Henry.”

 

Shawn wipes his mouth and points to his dad’s phone. “Put it on speaker.”

 

Henry nods, answers the call, presses the speaker button, and sets his phone down on the table. “Maddy, what is it? Is Lauren back?”

 

“No, Henry. Uh…” Over the phone, Maddy sighs shakily, and her voice sounds thick. “She’s still gone, but Nick called me a few minutes ago about some church –”

 

Henry nods. “Yeah, Life Church. We’re looking into it. We think she found a suspect there and went after them.”

 

“N-no, Henry. She knew who did it. She started– before she left, she started telling me something about how its membership worked…no one joins the church as a family. It’s only ever individually. Nick said she found something on the pastor.”

 

Lassiter takes a step closer to the table. “Did she give Nick the name of the pastor?”

 

Maddy exhales shakily again. “No. But she kept insisting that something was weird about the church –”

 

Juliet nods and looks at Shawn. “She tried to tell me the same thing.”

 

Karen winces and stands up from her desk. “We thank you for your input, Mrs. Spencer, but if you don’t have a location for us –”

 

“I do! I think I do, at least.”

 

Suddenly, everyone’s all ears. Juliet, Gus, and Henry stand up straight. Karen stops moving towards the table. Shawn and Lassiter look ready to sprint to their cars as soon as they get the word.

 

Henry grabs the edges of his phone. Shawn doesn’t miss the way his hand trembles. “Where do you think she went, Maddy?”

 

“Back to the crime scene. The church is nearby, but the warehouse is where you all found the bodies the last time –”

 

She keeps talking, but the detectives all start getting ready. Karen gives them the signal to move, Lassiter signals for Juliet to follow him, Shawn smacks Gus’s shoulder and starts running for the door, and Henry grabs his phone, takes it off speaker, and presses it to his ear. “That’s good, Mad, that’s real good. Now listen to me: I know you’re worried, but please, for the love of God, stay at the house. We’ll go after Lauren.”

 

“Alright, Henry.”

 

Henry hangs up, dashes out of the station, and gets in the car with Karen. Lassiter and Karen turn on their sirens, signal for Gus and Shawn to get in between them, and start driving full speed towards the warehouse.

 

**

 

Like hell Madeleine will sit on her ass and wait for her husband to call with the news of whether they were on time or too late. Especially since she knows where her granddaughter is going to be.

 

She grabs her keys, slips out the door, and starts driving for the warehouse. She will protect her granddaughter. She will save her granddaughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the rant but at the same time, I’m really not. I need to complain a little bit.
> 
> As always, kudos and reviews are much appreciated!


	11. The One Where Lauren REALLY Can't Shut Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like the warehouse has become a meet-up. Lauren follows in Shawn's footsteps. Her parents find out she had a crush on Colin. Things like this happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the long update! After this, we only have one more to go, and honestly? I'm sad to see it be almost over.

“Look, I thought you promised you weren’t going to shoot me unless I started talking about sensitive material, but I’ve only been talking about how cookie cakes have great icing but really gross chocolate chips. I mean, I guess you could consider that offensive, but I mean, come on. The chocolate chips aren’t even remotely sweet!”

 

Luntz rubs his forehead. “It’s not because the words coming out of your mouth are offensive,” he says tiredly, “it’s because you just can’t shut up.”

 

“I thought we had established that a long time ago.” Lauren bounces on the balls of her feet and looks around the warehouse. “Speaking of cookie cakes, I’m hungry. My grandma was supposed to make me brownies for dessert, and I was actually quite looking forward to them.” She gasps indignantly. “You guys made me miss dinner! That’s– that has got to go against the Geneva Conventions. I know you guys don’t like following the law too much, but come on, it’s dinnertime, you have to have  _ some _ sense of morality –”

 

Luntz whimpers and glances at Colin. “Is it worth it, Colin? Is it worth it to ransom her ass?”

 

Colin lifts one shoulder in a shrug and takes a bite out of his apple. “The police won’t pay, but that doesn’t mean that her dad won’t.”

 

Lauren glares at Colin. “I cannot believe you,” she deadpans. “You are eating an apple right in front of my face, after I just spilled my guts about how I’m starving.”

 

Colin grins smugly. “Does it look like I care?”

 

Lauren squints at him and shifts her weight to rest on her left foot. “You know, I really don’t get you at all. You’re seventeen, convicted of drug distribution, and all of this happened in Texas. You should have gone to prison, if the Texas laws are anything to go by, but instead, you use that silvertongue and convince them to let you come live with your uncle, who has a rap sheet as long as my arm?” She shakes her head. “Nah, that couldn’t have happened. Not if you were convicted, and I would bet that you were. No, my bet is that you skipped town, and the Texas Rangers would be all too happy to hear about their own escapee sitting pretty in Santa Barbara, running another illegal drug ring.”

 

Luntz fires his pistol. The bullet drives itself into the ground exactly four feet away from Lauren.

 

She looks up at him with wide eyes. “I’m assuming that’s a warning.”

 

Luntz grins at her. “You would be correct.” He shakes his head. “I was considering kidnapping you and ransoming you for a good million dollars, but with how much you talk, I just don’t think I could handle that.” He purses his lips and tilts his gun side to side. “I’m thinking of just shooting you and getting it over with.”

 

“You will do absolutely no such thing.”

 

Lauren’s heart stops, and she stands on her tiptoes, peeking over Luntz’s head. “Gran?” she hisses. “When did you get here? How did you even know? Also, you should have announced yourself earlier, this guy really likes his gu–”

 

Luntz turns so that Lauren and Maddy are both in his line of vision. “Who are you?”

 

Maddy crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m Lauren’s grandmother. You will not hurt her in any way, shape, or form.”

 

Luntz grins cruelly. “And what makes you think I’ll do that?”

 

Maddy shrugs and pulls her cardigan tightly around her body. “Simple. I consult with the SBPD on occasion, and I can –”

 

“Hrnnn.” Lauren bounces on the balls of her feet. “Gran, he really hates the ‘p’ word. Just– I just wouldn’t mention it in general.”

 

Luntz groans. “God, Lauren, do you  _ ever _ close your mouth? Genuine question! Have you ever been capable of shutting up for longer than six fucking seconds?”

 

Lauren clamps her lips shut and shakes her head. “No. I honestly can’t remember a time –”

 

“That was not an invitation for you to keep talking! It was rhetorical!” Luntz turns to Maddy. “There’s no way you’re a cop. What are you, a cleaning lady?”

 

Maddy’s eyes flash, and she takes a step forward. “Oh, it is quite the contrary.” Her voice is low and cool. “I work as a psychologist.”

 

Luntz hums. “So can you tell me why in the hell your granddaughter can’t shut up for one god-forsaken minute?”

 

Maddy shrugs. “It’s primarily due to her ADHD. You see, with girls, it’s not so much their body that is hyperactive as it is their brains that are hyperactive. For some girls – like Lauren – their brains are so overloaded with information that they talk to sort through that information.”

 

Luntz groans. “So, in essence, she just won’t shut up?”

 

Maddy nods. “That’s correct.”

 

Luntz purses his lips and waves his gun in the general direction of Lauren. “Alright, move on over there.”

 

“I will do no such thing.”

 

Luntz shakes his head. “You’re really not gonna make this easy on me?” He sighs in mock resignation. “Alright, well, if that’s the case…” he points the gun back at Lauren’s chest, “I have no choice but to pull the trigger.”

 

Maddy’s eyes widen, and her arms fall, but before she can make another move, the doors to the warehouse fly open, and the detectives all rush inside.

 

Shawn tries to push past Juliet, but Henry grabs his arm and holds him back. “Lauren!”

 

Lauren grins innocently. “Hi, Dad. Welcome to the hold-up.”

 

Shawn shakes his head and points his finger at Lauren. “I  _ told _ you to stay out of this case, and what do you do? You get involved with it!”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t give me that. I specifically remember Uncle Gus telling me a story of how Grampo told you not to take a hostage situation into your own hands, and you directly disobeyed him and took things into your own hands.” She shrugs. “I’m just following in the footsteps of my father.”

 

“This is not about me right now, young lady, it is all about  _ you _ –”

 

Luntz whisper-screams in frustration. “Are you all seriously going to barge in on this? Can I not get through this without being interrupted every three minutes?” He keeps his gun pointed at Lauren but turns the rest of his body to face his new visitors. “And who all are you, may I ask?”

 

Lassiter digs in his pocket and flashes his badge at Luntz. “Carlton Lassiter, head detective of the SBPD.”

 

Luntz’s eyes widen, and he looks back at Lauren. “How in the hell did you manage to call the cops?”

 

Lauren frowns and shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t call them.”

 

Maddy lifts her hand in a wave. “I did.”

 

Henry’s eyes slide over to the sound of her voice, and he moves away from the small crowd. “Maddy,” he hisses, “I told you to stay put.”

 

Maddy gestures toward Lauren. “And my granddaughter’s life is in danger! Did you really think I was going to stay put?”

 

“You should have!”

 

Maddy shakes her head and sets her jaw. “No. I made that mistake once during the final round of the Yin and Yang case.” She points a finger at her own chest, and her eyes well up with tears. “I could have lost my  _ son, _ Henry. I wasn’t about to make the same damn mistake again.”

 

Henry places his hand on Maddy’s arm. “You’re not a cop, Mad. You’re just a civilian. Even if– what were you expecting to happen?”

 

“Hey!” Luntz waves his free hand in the air. “As happy as this nice little reunion is, can we get on with it?”

 

Lauren rolls her eyes. “Please. You don’t want to shoot me. If you did, you would have shot me a long time ago.”

 

Gus shakes his head and winces. “Lauren, don’t encourage him.”

 

Lauren spreads her hands and looks around. “What? I’m right!”

 

Shawn grits his teeth. “You were  _ wrong, _ Lauren. What were you thinking? You’re just barely seventeen –”

 

Lauren huffs, rolls her eyes again, and lightly stomps her foot. “Oh, cut me a break, Dad. You’ve done more dangerous shit when you were younger.”

 

Henry shakes his head. “Watch your language, Ellie.”

 

“No, Grampo! I’m just saying, Dad was trying to help you solve cases when he was this age –”

 

“But I didn’t jump into any of them to prove a point!”

 

Lauren presses her hands into her eyes. “God, is  _ nothing _ I do good enough?” She pulls her hands away from her face and gestures at Juliet. “Mom, you tried to join the force when you were my age. I remember hearing you talk about that.”

 

Juliet, though her face is pale and her hands are shaky, still finds the strength to point her gun at the teenager in the corner. She’s too scared of what might happen if she points it at Luntz. “But I didn’t. I stopped trying after they turned me away.”

 

Shawn places his hands on her shoulders. “Yeah, Lauren. Besides, it doesn’t matt–”

 

Lauren points her index finger at her dad. “And you! Grampo told me stories of how you tried to join the force as a thirteen-year-old, and how you tried to get yourself on as a consultant less than a month later! You’re not innocent in all of this!”

 

Shawn’s eyes harden, and he takes a step forward. “Yeah, but I knew enough to listen to him after –”

 

She raises her eyebrows. “After what? After he lectured you about all the dangers? Because I know you, Dad. That wouldn’t have stopped you. Even  _ Gran _ lecturing you wouldn’t have been enough. No, I bet Grampo grounded you so hard –”

 

“That’s not the  _ point, _ Lauren!” Henry shouts. He takes a deep breath. “You aren’t your father. That’s the point.”

 

Lauren shifts her gaze over to her grandfather. “Oh, Grampo, you’re not entirely innocent, either. See, I know for a fact that you tried to enlist in the military when you were only sixteen. You tried to join the war!”

 

Henry rubs his forehead, but the anger boiling beneath the first layer of his skin gets to be too much. “Of course I did, Lauren! It was the Vietnam War!”

 

“A lot of people died in that war, Grampo!” She runs her hand through her hair and gestures towards him with her left hand. “You could have been one of them!”

 

“I wanted to protect the people I loved!”

 

“You weren’t needed in that war, Grampo!”

 

“Guys!” Luntz throws both hands up in the air. “Can we please just not get distracted here?” He turns to face Lassiter, Juliet, and Karen. “Now, doesn’t this break some sort of law?”

 

Gus holds up his index finger. “Actually, we had cause to believe that Lauren was here, and we were correct in that assumption.”

 

Luntz narrows his eyes at Gus. “And why did you guys assume that?”

 

“Well, Lauren had been pursuing this case – unknown to most of us, we all thought she had given up after being lectured by her parents – and we all figured she had been pursuing a lead when she just fell off the radar. We looked at the case and tried to see what she might have connected, but Mrs. Spencer was the one to ask my son if he knew anything about where Lauren might have gone. We had no idea if she was being held hostage, or if she was just exploring the warehouse. For all we knew, she was here, didn’t find anything, and then left. This is technically public property.”

 

Luntz rolls his eyes. “Please spare me the details.”

 

Lauren raises her hand high in the air.

 

This time, Lassiter rolls his eyes and sighs. “Yes, Lauren?”

 

“Can I explain what I found out now? Without penalty of lecture?”

 

Lassiter glances at Juliet and nods. “Go ahead.”

 

“Well, I noticed that there was a heroin connection between all three victims, and all of them were going through hard periods in their lives: Harold was getting divorced, I presume Hillary had a mental illness but I wouldn’t be any the wiser, and Jon lost his cousin and was facing the stress of being valedictorian. I’m assuming Colin here recommended ‘Life Church’ –” Lauren uses air quotes “– to Jon, certainly…actually, no, Jon joined before Colin moved here, but Colin is definitely not innocent.” She glances at Henry. “Grampo, I don’t have a crush on him anymore. He’s a bad guy. You were right.”

 

“Can we get  _ on _ with this?” Lassiter growls.

 

Henry inches forward, pushing Maddy behind him. “Go,” he whispers. “I’m not asking you to leave, but get close to the door. I’m going to get Ellie as soon as possible, and we’ll let the PD engage with the preacher and Colin.”

 

Maddy squeezes his hand. “I’m not leaving my family, Henry.”

 

“I promise: you won’t have to.”

 

Lauren sighs heavily. “Well, anyways, Harold, Hillary, and Jon all found out about this church somehow, and they came to interview. Jarrod Luntz here is a convicted felon with a rap sheet as long as my arm. I’ll bet Buzz has something for you. He also never attended seminary.” Lauren puts her hands back up and starts pacing back and forth. “See, his services were never about Jesus. In fact, there wasn’t much preaching at all, I’m assuming. They just did dope during the hour allotment. Now, the thing is, Jon was getting better. I remember that very clearly. He started seeming more like the Jon I knew from the first two years of high school and less like the Jon I knew in junior year. I take this to mean that he was skipping these so-called ‘services.’ Now, if Jon was getting better, and then he got murdered, that has to mean that Harold and Hillary either were getting better or wanted to get better. Either way, they wanted to leave.” Lauren laughs humorlessly and points to Luntz. “But you couldn’t have that happening, could you? You knew they’d tell the police about this entire operation. They’d find all the heroin stashed away in the church; I’m assuming it was shipped here, to the warehouse. And if they all told the police about your operation, well.” She spreads her hands and smiles smugly. “They’d find out your nephew is a convicted escapee from Texas.”

 

Shawn and Juliet glance at each other. “She had a crush on a criminal?” Shawn mouths at his wife.

 

Juliet shrugs. “Every girl has a crush on a bad boy at some point in her life. This just was Lauren’s bad boy crush.”

 

Shawn shakes his head. “I want to beat his ass.”

 

Juliet rolls her eyes and shakes her head fondly.

 

“So, with so much to lose, why not take every single measure to make sure they stay quiet? What is that ancient show, Dad?  _ Pretty Little Liars? _ The one where there’s some person named A, and it’s an overdramatic drama?” When her dad doesn’t give her an answer in a split second, she shrugs. “Well, the saying goes, ‘Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.’” She points to Luntz. “Except, in this case, it was more like, ‘Four or five people can keep a secret if three of them are dead and one of them is my criminal nephew.’You thought you had no  _ choice _ but to kill them!” She gestures around the warehouse. “So you set up the perfect crime. You murder your three traitors in three different manners so that the police can’t trace it as well. You cleaned up your mess. You made sure that you couldn’t possibly be found out. You were close, I’ve gotta tell you.”

 

Lassiter sighs. “Jarrod Luntz, put your hands behind your back. You’re under arrest for –”

 

Lauren doesn’t see any of it coming. Her grandfather grabs her around the waist and pulls her away from her spot, towards the door. A gunshot goes off. Her dad practically leaps over Lassie’s head and lunges for the gun.

 

Lauren pounds her fists against her grandfather’s shoulder. “Let go of me! Let go of me!”

 

Henry looks over his shoulder. “Gus! Come on, get out of there!”

 

Gus dashes forward. “Like hell! That’s my best friend!”

 

“And that’s my son! I need you all to get out of here!”

 

Lauren kicks as hard as she can, and Henry groans, his knee buckling as soon as Lauren’s foot connects with his kneecap. “Grampo, I said let me go!”

 

“No!” He keeps his arm wrapped around Lauren’s ribs and rushes for the door. “Your parents will be fine.”

 

“That’s my dad!”

 

“Lauren!” Henry doesn’t pay anymore attention to her and drags her toward the door. Maddy pushes it open and waves them outside, Lauren still struggling in his arms. Maddy lets go of the door once Gus slips through, and it swings shut.

 

Henry wrestles Lauren to the ground, pins her hands above her head, and gestures for Maddy and Gus to hold her down. “Lauren,  _ listen _ to me!” he shouts.

 

Lauren stops struggling and seethes pure rage at her grandfather. “I was  _ fine _ in there! But Dad isn’t! You left him in there to die!”

 

Henry’s hands tighten around Lauren’s wrists. “No,” he hisses, “I didn’t. Carlton and Juliet are more than capable of taking care of him, and he has enough experience behind him to protect himself. You don’t.” Henry sighs, and for a brief moment, his gruff mask falls. “Lauren, we need to make sure that you’re safe. I’ve almost lost your father too many times. I just need to make sure that we won’t lose you.”

 

Lauren strains against her grandfather’s grip. “But that’s my  _ dad!” _

 

“I know, Lauren! I know! But you need to learn how to call for backup.  _ That’s _ why we were so hesitant to let you on this case.  _ That’s _ why your parents want you to at least attend community college before you join the force. You’re not mature enough, Lauren. You made a stupid and reckless decision today that endangered you and a lot of people around you.”

 

“What would you  _ want _ me to do? Let a criminal go free?”

 

“You should have just texted one of us in the first place! Called in an anonymous tip! You shouldn’t have come to confront the murder suspect by yourself without any sort of backup on the way! Hell, you could have called McNab and asked him to back you up, but you didn’t!” Henry licks his lips and loosens his grip just enough that he doesn’t hurt Lauren. “You and your father always struggled with this. At least your dad finally learned that he needed to call backup, even if it was just me.”

 

Lauren twists her head and stares at the lifeless facade of the warehouse. “Grampo…”

 

Maddy glances at Gus and waves him off. Lauren won’t physically fight her grandfather right now. Maddy crawls forward and smooths Lauren’s hair back. “Your parents will be fine, Lauren. I promise.”

 

Lauren presses her lips together, and a sob tears from her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I just– I wanted to prove myself. I wanted you guys to know that I’m just as good a cop as you all are.”

 

Maddy nods and keeps smoothing back Lauren’s hair. “We know, sweetheart.”

 

Henry clears his throat. “We never doubted your abilities, Ellie. If this wasn’t such a dangerous case, we would have probably pulled some strings so that you could have helped a little bit, so you could learn how to work cases like this.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead. “We should have been less angry with you when we found out you were still pursuing it, and we all should have listened to you.”

 

The door to the warehouse swings open again, and both Lassiter and Juliet haul out Colin and Luntz. Juliet shakes her head, trying to get a stray strand of hair away from her face, but she finally gives up and blows out a breath of hot air, causing the strand of hair to flutter away from her face for a second. Colin stumbles after her.

 

Henry lets go of Lauren, and she immediately props herself up and searches for her father. Her mom is okay, that’s good, that’s great even…

 

Before the door can close completely, Shawn comes trotting out, a victorious grin on his face. Carlton shoves both Luntz and Colin into his Crown Vic, and as soon as Colin is off her hands, Juliet pivots and sprints for her daughter. She skids to a stop, kneels in front of Lauren, reaches forward, and yanks Lauren into a hug.

 

“Don’t you ever do that again,” she whispers, cupping the back of Lauren’s head. “You scared me so much.” She pulls away and presses her lips to Lauren’s forehead. “I don’t say it enough, sweetheart, but I love you so much. So, so much.”

 

Shawn kneels next to his wife and places one hand on his wife’s shoulder and the other on Lauren’s. “Did he hurt you at all, Lauren?”

 

Lauren shakes her head. “No. He didn’t hurt me.”

 

Shawn nods and wraps his arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “Thank God,” he whispers. “Thank God that you’re safe.” He presses a kiss to Lauren’s temple.

 

Lauren nods. “I am. Thanks, Dad. And I’m sorry.”

 

Juliet nods and pulls Lauren closer. “We’ll talk about that later.”

 

“And we’ll also talk about that very questionable crush you had on Colin.” He pulls away and tries to catch Lauren’s eye. “A drug dealer? Really, Lauren?”

 

Lauren moves so that she can rest her chin on her mother’s shoulder. “In my defense, I didn’t know.” She smirks smugly. “And besides, Nick and I kissed today.”

 

_ “What?” _ Gus crawls around Juliet so that he’s eye-to-eye with Lauren. “Will you run that by me again?”

 

Shawn nods slowly. “Yeah, run that by me, too. You did  _ what?” _

 

Lauren grins sheepishly. “I kissed Nick?”

 

Juliet moves her hand from Lauren’s back and squeezes Shawn’s wrist. “It’s fine, Shawn. It’s better than her kissing a drug dealer.”

 

_ “You kissed the drug dealer?!” _

 

“I only had one conversation in my life with the drug dealer before today!”

 

Juliet rolls her eyes. “Shawn, Gus…we all knew it was going to happen. Just…let it be. We can talk about it all later.”

 

Gus hums. “Damn straight, we’ll talk about it later.” He hums indignantly. “Making out with my son. Gotta be some sort of crazy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews and kudos are appreciated!


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's just time to unwind. Get a few lectures, kiss a boy, watch a movie, eat some pizza. You know, normal people things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, I'm actually quite sad to see this one end. I enjoyed it (and your reactions). Thank you for reading this! I decided to update this a day early because I have no clue if I'm traveling tomorrow, so on the off chance that I am, it's up!

For someone who practically lives at the police station, it’s the absolute last place Lauren wants to go that evening. She’s glad that Luntz is incarcerated, but she expects a lot of backlash from the chief, and honestly, she would be disappointed if she didn’t get it.

 

Lauren’s pointed to the chief’s office, while Gus and Shawn each take an interrogation room. Lassiter goes to his desk, Juliet goes to hers, Henry takes a spot next to Buzz, and Maddy takes a bench. None of them can conspire, not that they’d want to.

 

Karen closes the door shut as soon as Lauren steps foot into her office. She starts walking back to her desk, and she points at one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Sit.”

 

Lauren, head bowed low, sits down immediately.

 

Karen bites her bottom lip and sits down. Though she’s used to lecturing Spencers (and she’s gotten quite good at it, she must admit), this is really her first time to lecture Lauren, and out of all the Spencers she’s lectured before, Lauren’s the youngest. She has the biggest excuse for her behavior.

 

Karen folds her hands on her desk and leans forward. “Lauren, I want you to look at me.”

 

Lauren slowly raises her head and looks into the chief’s eyes.

 

Karen sighs when she sees the rims of red around Lauren’s eyes, and she reaches for a tissue. “Listen, Lauren, what you did today was wrong. In fact, trying to solve the case – behind the scenes or no – is technically illegal. Hopefully, the court will take your age into consideration, but you will have to be present at the trial. You will have to testify, and you will have to admit that what you did was wrong. Hopefully, we can get Luntz to confess, but if we can’t, then this trial might have to be thrown out.”

 

Lauren gulps and bites her thumbnail. “You mean, because I did something real stupid, Luntz might walk?”

 

Karen nods gravely. “It’s possible. Unlikely, since we caught him pointing a gun at you, but possible.” She sighs again. “Lauren, it is no crime to want to help others. It is no crime to want to protect the innocent. That’s a good quality to have, and truth be told, I wish more of my officers had that same desire as you do. But you should have listened to all of us when we told you to stay out of it. I’ll talk to the district attorney and see what all might happen, but Lauren, you are in trouble.”

 

Lauren’s mouth falls open. “Can I go to jail for that?”

 

Karen smiles softly. “No. It’s not a serious crime in the first place, and it’s only reserved for minors. At the very worst, you’ll have to do a bit of community service, and you might get kicked out of NHS. At the very worst.”

 

Lauren shakes her head and looks away from Karen, biting her bottom lip. “I just wanted to help,” she whispers shakily.

 

“And no one blames you for that.” Karen pushes aside the papers on her desk and tilts her head to catch Lauren’s eye. “Look, Lauren, legality of what you did aside, none of us wanted you to be a part of this case because we all care about you. That’s why your father always winces whenever he hears that you want to join the force after high school. That’s why Henry decided to train you the same way he trained Shawn, just so you would be safer when he knew that he couldn’t stop you. That’s why Carlton and Juliet keep dropping subtle hints about other options.”

 

Lauren furrows her brow. “But I don’t  _ want _ another job! I want to be a cop!”

 

Karen nods. “Shh.” She licks her lips and scratches the side of her nose. “They all are starting to recognize that, Lauren, but the thing is, none of us want to see you get hurt. I haven’t seen your mother’s gun shake like that since she first transferred here. I’ve never seen your father get so upset, and I’ve only seen Henry that desperate a handful of times. We didn’t tell you to stay away because we doubted you, but because we wanted to be assured that you were as safe as possible.”

 

Lauren licks her lips and looks down at the floor. “I’m sorry.” She sniffles and looks up. “And you were right. About Colin. I shouldn’t have a crush on a guy that I’ve only talked to once.”

 

Karen smiles widely. “Well, I’m glad that that crush has come and gone.” She shakes her head in amusement. “Where did that crush even come from?”

 

Lauren lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know. He’s hot, and I saw him at a swim meet, and he is admittedly ripped. And he was wearing a Speedo.”

 

Karen rolls her eyes and grabs her favorite pen. “Great. So, in addition to lecturing you over police procedure, I also have to deal with you being a horny teenager?”

 

Lauren wrinkles her nose. “I object to the term ‘horny’ coming from anyone over the age of twenty-three.”

 

Karen grins smugly. “Well, that’s just too bad.”

 

Lauren picks at the dirt underneath her fingernails. “I had my first kiss today, Chief.”

 

Karen raises her eyebrows. “Oh? Do tell.” She winces. “Please tell me it wasn’t with Colin.”

 

Lauren laughs and waves a hand. “Of course not. Once I started working this case, the crush on him just kinda…dropped.” She shakes her hair out of her face. “No, uh…I kissed Nick today.”

 

Karen’s jaw drops, and she leans forward eagerly. “Gus’s son?”

 

Lauren nods, a timid smile crossing her face.

 

Karen winks. “I like it. You two would make a great couple.”

 

**

 

After everyone gives their statements, Henry and Maddy invite everyone over to their house. Maddy shrugs sheepishly. “I was about to start dinner before I got the news that Lauren was missing. We can order pizza and watch a movie, if everyone’s up for it.”

 

The only complaint comes from Shawn when his parents refuse to buy only pineapple pizza. Everyone pitches in their order and some money for the pizza, and then Gus drives home to pick up his wife and son. Henry and Maddy split up, Henry to pick up the pizzas and Maddy to go back to the house. Karen calls her family and asks if they’d like to spend time with the Spencers, and even Lassiter calls Marlowe and asks if she’d like to meet up at the Spencer residence.

 

Lauren laughs to herself, slides into the back of her mom’s car, and buckles herself in. She expects a lecture. Instead, her mom reaches behind her, squeezes her hand, and says, “We can’t tell you anything you haven’t heard already, but please, for the love of God, Lauren, don’t ever do that again. Do we have a deal?”

 

Lauren nods and squeezes her mom’s hand back. “I won’t, Mom. I think I’ve learned my lesson.”

 

Her dad twists around in his seat. “And what lesson would that be?”

 

Lauren grins brightly. “Listen to the people who love me. They’re only looking out for my best interests.”

 

**

 

Before anyone starts the movie, Lauren changes into more comfortable clothes. Nick pulls up to the Spencer household, knocks on the door, and offers Lauren a pair of his sweats and her favorite of his t-shirts.

 

Lauren presses her lips together, grabs the clothes, and pulls Nick in for a hug. Back in the kitchen, she hears her grandmother gently smack Shawn and say, “Oh, don’t worry, Shawn. It’s your godson. It’s not like he’s going to try anything.”

 

Shawn pouts and takes an angry bite out of a carrot. “How do you know he’s not going to try anything? You should understand the male psyche, Mom.”

 

Juliet rolls her eyes and snuggles under Shawn’s arm. “At this point, I’m sure that Nick is too scared to try anything.”

 

Shawn purses his lips, still in disbelief, and then he glances over his shoulder into the living room. “Look! They’re kissing! Jules, I demand you apologize and tell me I’m right!”

 

Nick laughs softly, and Lauren steps away from the kiss. “Looks like we were caught,” she whispers, winking at him. She hooks her thumb over his shoulder. “I’m– I’ll be back down in a second, I’m just going to go change.”

 

Nick squeezes her hand. “Alright. Guess I have to talk to your dad.”

 

Gus marches up the steps. “And you better damn well talk to your parents about this newfound crush you have! Boy, I told you to save yourself –”

 

Once Lauren changes and comes back downstairs to the smell of pizza, everyone’s congregated in front of the kitchen island, trying to wrestle a couple of slices of pizza for themselves. Henry, Maddy, Gus, and Juliet all have to remind Shawn that he cannot be the only one to eat pineapple pizza.

 

Lauren grins to herself, shakes her head, and grabs a paper plate, slipping in next to Henry. “I thought you hated pineapple pizza.” She elbows him.

 

Henry raises an eyebrow and plops a slice of pineapple pizza onto his plate. “What makes you say that? I’ve been eating pineapple pizza for over forty years.”

 

Lauren smiles up at her grandfather. “Gran said you used to hate pineapple pizza.”

 

Henry hums. “Well, when your kid keeps demanding that you order it every single week for fifteen years, you get really used to the taste.” He shrugs and takes a massive bite out of the pineapple pizza. “You might even grow to like it.” He nudges her and winks.

 

Lauren rolls her eyes and grabs her own pizza.

 

Maddy stands on her tiptoes, trying to peer over everyone’s heads. Shawn, Gus, Richard, and Henry leave their pizzas on the kitchen table and move the non-couch furniture out of the living room so that everyone can have room to sit in the living room. Juliet and Selene go upstairs and fetch extra throw pillows and blankets. Carlton and Marlowe try and gather their two younger children together, asking them which kind of pizza they want.

 

Once everyone has their pizza and has settled in the living room in varying degrees of comfort, Maddy stands in front of the television. “First,” she says, folding her hands in front of her body, “I would like to thank all fifteen of you for coming to spend time with us.” She smiles at her husband, her son and her daughter-in-law, Carlton, and Chief Vick. “And I would like to thank you for protecting Lauren today.” She laughs softly. “Well, let’s decide on a movie!” She points to Lassiter. “Carlton, how old is your youngest?”

 

Michael Lassiter opens his mouth to speak before his dad can. “I’m thirteen, ma’am –”

 

Lassiter leans forward and squeezes Michael’s shoulder. “That’s not true,” he says. “Mike is only twelve. Depending on the PG–13 movie, he can watch it, but he must have Marlowe’s and my approval first.”

 

Maddy nods slowly. “Would anyone object to –”

 

Lauren sits up, and Nick wraps his arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her down, but he pulls his arm away when Shawn levels him with a glare that rivals even Henry’s top-notch glares. “What about  _ Ferris Bueller?” _

 

Erin, Lassiter’s other daughter, shakes her head. “No, I’m not really that much of a fan of it.”

 

_ “Breakfast Club?” _ Juliet suggests.

 

Lassiter shakes his head. “Way too much language and suggestive material.”

 

Shawn rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on, Lassie, we all know that you use that kind of –”

 

“Spencer, do you want me to actually fight you outside?”

 

Shawn sighs. “What about  _ Back to the Future?” _

 

Henry groans and rubs his forehead. “Shawn, you watched that movie so much as a kid that I still have it memorized. I would rather lose my foot than watch that movie again.”

 

Gus purses his lips. “Marvel?”

 

Lassiter and Juliet shake their heads in unison. Juliet points at Lassiter and says, “He doesn’t want his kids to grow up watching superheroes,” at the same time Lassiter says, “I don’t want my kids to grow up watching superheroes.”

 

Henry claps his hands together.  _ “Indiana Jones?” _

 

Maddy squints at him. “No. You always start complaining about how Jack got all of his fantasies of treasure hunting from watching those movies, and I am not listening to those complaints again.”

 

“Scooby-Doo?” Marlowe winces at her husband and gently pats his arm. “Family friendly, crime fighting –”

 

Henry shakes his head. “I have watched every foreseeable episode or movie surrounding that dog, and if I see one more, my head will explode.” He picks at the hair on his arm, ignoring the look Maddy sends him. “It was all fine until Scrappy showed up.”

 

Selene sits up straight.  _ “Legally Blonde?” _

 

Lassiter glares at her, but he apologizes as soon as his wife smacks his arm. “I can only watch one chickflik a month, and I already did mine for the month. Absolutely not. No.”

 

Erin leans back, resting her head on her father’s shins. “Dad, pleaseeeeee?”

 

“No, Erin.”

 

Juliet sighs. “I think I have a solution.” Once everyone’s looking at her, she spreads her hands and points to Henry’s collection of movies. “What about  _ Miracle?” _

 

Henry’s eyes twinkle. “That is one of my favorite movies of all time.”

 

Shawn purses his lips and nods slowly. “I actually like it. Kurt Russell did a good job. Inspired me not to become a hockey player.”

 

Henry and Juliet roll their eyes in unison.

 

Gus shrugs. “I like it.”

 

Maddy lets out a breath of relief. “Without any further ado – or any more arguments – I will get the movie playing, and I will make popcorn during the previews.”

 

Once the lights turn off, Lauren leans into her mother’s side, resting her head on Juliet’s shoulder. “Is Dad really that against me dating Nick?” she whispers.

 

Juliet smiles softly and pats Lauren’s hand. “No, honey. He just is protective of you. He’ll come around eventually.”

 

Lauren nods. “Good. I really like Nick.” She smiles to herself. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll marry him someday.”

 

Juliet whistles lowly. “Whoa there, now. You’re getting a little ahead of yourself there, missy.”

 

Lauren laughs softly. “Maybe. Maybe not. Dad knew immediately.”

 

“Yeah, well, it took your dad five years to ask me on a proper date.” She shushes her daughter. “Now watch the movie.”

 

“It’s just the previews!”

 

Juliet turns her head so that she can kiss the top of Lauren’s head. “I love you so much, honey.”

 

Lauren nods, tucking her face into the crook of her mother’s neck. “Thanks for looking out for me, Mom. And whatever lecture is coming my way, I deserve it.”

 

Shawn leans forward. “Like how your boyfriend’s hand is on your knee? Yes, we will definitely talk about that.”

 

“Nick!” Gus shouts, ignorant of all the shushes thrown his way.

 

“I didn’t do anything, Dad, I promise!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews and kudos are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Like it, love it, hate it? Leave a comment below or go to my tumblr, @ my-glasses-are-dirty, and tell me what you think!


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